Warm Summer Rain
by alabastor
Summary: read the new chapter
1. Slow Summers

Hermione Granger stumbled out of bed sleepily, slipping on her sheets as she rushed toward the tapping at her window. The rain poured as she opened it widely, not listening to the thundering. A small figure shot past her head and into the room, as she struggled with her window latch. When the rain was securely outside, Hermione grabbed a towel, and began to dry herself off.

"Today's not going to be a good day," she grumbled to herself, as she attempted to take the sopping note from Pig's leg. He was extremely excited about something, and refused to sit still. Hermione finally detached the note from the tiny minute owl.

_Hermione, _

_ How's your summer? Everything's fine here. I was wondering if you wanted to come over this summer. Nothing to do with you-know-what. You can bring your friend Sadey if you want. Mum says she would like an answer as soon as possible though. If you can come, we'll pick you up on Friday. And try to make the notes short. Pig's not a big owl. Hope to see you soon!_

_ Your friend,_

_ Ron Weasley_

Hermione smiled. She had already asked Sadey if she wanted to come over, and knew she wouldn't mind going to Ron's instead. She wrote a note to Ron saying that she would be able to go, and that Sadey would have to travel there by floo on Saturday, because she was busy on Friday. She secured the note in the leather pouch on the tiny owl's leg, and took him over to the window to send him off. Once Pig had flown out of sight, Hermione wrote a short letter to Sadey.

_Dear Sadey,_

_ How's your summer? Mine's fine. I just got a letter from Ron, saying we can go there this summer. You'll like it a lot better than my place. There's a lot more to do, and there'll be more people there too. I told them you would travel there by floo on Saturday, so everything's set. You just say "The Burrow" to get to their house. Everyone there is really nice, and I've told them all about you in letters, so you have nothing to worry about._

_ How's your brother doing anyway? I heard about what happened. It was all over the Daily Prophet. I felt horrible. And he only graduated from Hogwarts last year! I'm so sorry. I hope he's doing better. It's a shame what those Death Eaters are doing to people. No respect for anyone, let alone Muggle-borns_

_ Anyway, I can't wait to see you on Saturday. I've missed you all summer! See you in three days!_

_ Love from,_

_ Hermione_

Hermione folded the letter, and put it in an envelope. She went downstairs to the owl she had borrowed from the school, and attached the letter to his ankle.

"Take this to Sadey," Hermione said, as the owl hopped on her arm. She stroked the brown feathers as if the owl were her own, before it hooted approvingly, and flew off into the storm. Hermione then went to tell her mother that she would be going to Ron's house, and they would pick her up in two days, and went to her room to pack her trunk.

On Friday, Hermione dressed as usual for the warm weather, and packed a bag of clothes for the summer. She was throwing her room apart looking for her bathing suit when her mom called up the stairs for her. Ron had never said what time they were going to be there to pick her up, so she assumed they were there.

"Coming!" she called, finding what she was looking for, grabbing her things, and coming down the stairs in a jumble.

"What's the rush sweetie?" Mrs. Granger asked, smiling at her sixteen year old daughter.

"Aren't the Weasleys here yet?" Hermione asked, looking around the living room.

"Not yet darling. I just wanted to give you some money for your birthday, since we won't be seeing you for the rest of the summer," her mother said kindly.

"Oh, thanks mom," Hermione said, hugging her, and standing back.

"There's 25 pounds there," her mother said, holding out the money. "And something else." Mrs. Granger pulled a small package wrapped in tissue paper out of the drawer of a small side table in the hall. Hermione looked questioningly at her mother, but opened the package and gasped. Inside was a delicate necklace made of white gold, and on the chain was a small sapphire and diamond pendant that seemed to glow unnaturally.

"It was your great-grandmother's," her mother said, looking at the necklace affectionately. "She was a witch, just like you. So you do have a little magic in your family." Hermione looked up at her mother, and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, thank you. It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, as she wrapped it up, and put it away. "I don't want anything to happen to it," she said, placing it gently in her bag. Her mother nodded.

"Now go, I know you have more things you need for school," she said laughing. Hermione grinned, and took her bag upstairs, to gather some last minute things. She only put her toiletries in the bag, and her diary, and an exceptionally good book she was reading. Lastly, she placed her wand in the pocket of her capris, and headed downstairs, to have tea with her mother, and wait for the Weasleys.

Not long after she went downstairs, did she hear the familiar rush of flames, and the thud of someone landing in her fireplace. She went to the living room to see who arrived first, and was surprised to see Ron.

"Dad's coming soon. Only a moment," he said, brushing himself off. He bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, before his father arrived suddenly, dusting soot off his shoulders and robes.

"Hermione! How are you doing?" Mr. Weasley asked kindly.

"I'm doing very well, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said, smiling, as her mother entered the room.

"Got all your things packed?" Ron asked, looking at her affectionately.

"I think so. If not, I'll send a letter and ask if my parents can mail anything," she said, grinning.

"Alright, let's go," Mr. Weasley said, pulling a small pouch out of his robes.

"Goodbye, mum," Hermione said, hugging her mother before departing. She took her bag with her, as Ron was bringing her trunk, and threw some floo powder into the flames. They instantly turned emerald green, and Hermione stepped into them. "The Burrow!" she said clearly, and she was engulfed in the flames at once, and was spinning past many different fireplaces. After a few seconds of spinning, she landed feet first in the Weasleys fireplace, looking into the kind face of Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh Hermione, good to see you dear. How's your summer been?"

"Great Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said cheerfully, as she stepped out of the hearth. Not long after, Ron arrived with her trunk, and dragged it out of the fireplace.

"Dad's on his way," Ron said, before turning to Hermione. "Harry hasn't come yet. You want to bring your things up to your room?" She grinned and nodded, following Ron up the zigzag steps, to a room that was beside Ginny's. It was small, and a little cramped, but a comfortable sized bed had been easily squeezed in with magic, and the bright walls made it seem bigger than it was.

"So this is it," Ron said, setting her trunk down across the room to act like a miniature dresser, as Hermione entered and closed the door. She set her bag down in a corner and sat on the bed. Ron grinned at her and joined her.

"It's nice having my own room here," she teased, taking his hand.

"I know. You and Ginny are lucky. Ever since someone left, we've had a little extra space. Mum wanted to make a closet, so believe it or not, we knocked down a few walls, and now, the room you're in used to be part of Ginny's, and-"

"Just stop talking. You do too much of it," Hermione said, holding a finger up to Ron's lips. He smiled at her, reached up, and kissed her gently. They had just decided at the beginning of the summer to get together, and hadn't told anyone about it. Ron had asked her out in a letter, and they had been sending letters like crazy to each other ever since. Their kiss deepened, and just before it turned into a snogging session, Hermione stopped him.

"We should probably go downstairs and wait for Harry," she said shyly. Ron nodded, and took her hand as they opened the door and headed to the living room. Just before entering, he let go of her, and they sat down on the couch.

"You know, we need to find Harry a girl. You saw how happy he was whenever he was with Cho last year. He needs to be with someone to take his mind off things," Ron said suddenly, as if he had been thinking about it for a long time.

"How about Sadey? She does have a crush on him, although I think every witch in the world sort of does. But she's available, and she's really nice and loyal. I think they would do well together," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Well then it's settled. This summer, we work on getting Harry and Sadey together," Ron said, smiling at her. At that moment, Harry appeared before them in a rush of green light. They both smiled at him.

"Hey, how're your-…what's that look for?" he asked suspiciously, stepping out of the fireplace.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said innocently. Harry gave her a look, but turned around to get his bag. Hermione and Ron grinned at each other behind his back. This was going to be an interesting summer.


	2. A Familiar Stranger

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! I'll admit, I didn't expect there to be any reviews after my last few stories have done so bad. You've all definitely raised the bar for my writing now, lol. I'm worried whether you're going to like the next chapter. Well I hope you do like it, and thanks again for the reviews!

Hermione, Ron and Harry all woke early the next morning, to wait for Sadey. Hermione never specified a time for her to come. So they all got dressed as usual, and sat down around the Weasley's wooden table for breakfast.

They weren't even half-finished with their porridge, when the whoosh of flames and a loud thud came from the next room.

"That's her!" Hermione said excitedly, rushing out of her chair and into the living room. Harry and Ron followed slowly. Hermione was hugging Sadey tightly as they entered. Harry looked the girl up and down suspiciously, thinking she looked fairly familiar. Her dark hair fell in large ringlets around her shoulders, and her blue eyes sparkled brightly. She had to bend down slightly to hug Hermione, as she was a little taller, and she had an athletic look. Then it hit Harry. Sadey Hutch was a chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. That's why she looked so familiar; he always saw her practicing on the pitch with Cho.

"Harry, Ron. I would like to introduce Sadey Hutch. Sadey, this is Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter," Hermione said, smiling broadly. Sadey was smiling as well, though not as wide.

"It's nice to meet you both," she said politely, as Mrs. Weasley appeared at the doorway.

"Oh, this must be Sadey. How are you darling? I'm Mrs. Weasley" she said, pushing past the boys, and giving her a friendly hug. Ron laughed quietly, as Harry grinned. Mrs. Weasley was always a very friendly woman.

"It's-very nice to, er-meet you too," Sadey said grinning. Mrs. Weasley smiled at her, and returned to the kitchen.

"Come on, we can take your things up to our room," Hermione said, taking Sadey's bag from her, and leading her up the stairs. Sadey followed with her trunk. When they were both out of sight, Harry turned to Ron.

"She doesn't seem so bad," Ron said, shrugging.

"Don't you recognize her?" Harry asked, as they went back into the kitchen.

"Not really," Ron said, eating the rest of his porridge.

"She's on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. And, her brother was attacked by Death Eaters this summer. It was all over the news. David Hutch, I think," Harry said, as two loud pops filled the room, and Fred and George appeared.

"What about David Hutch?" Fred asked.

"We went to school with him. Not a bad fellow," George said, nodding approvingly.

"Bloody shame what happened to him though. Why'd you bring him up?" Fred asked, taking a seat.

"His sister, Sadey, is staying with us this summer," Ron said, through a mouthful of his breakfast.

"Oh! How nice," George said, suddenly quite quiet. Fred looked at him strangely, but shrugged it off, and disappeared up the stairs to his room.

"How about some Quidditch Harry? Ron? I've missed it a lot since we left school," George said, gaining a scornful glare from Mrs. Weasley.

"Sounds good to me," Harry said, getting up from the table. Ron nodded, and they all went up to get their brooms, and the Quaffel. They met Hermione and Sadey a little ways up the stairs, coming out of their room.

"And where are you three off to?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms, and leaning against the wall.

"We're going to play a little Quidditch. You up for it?" Ron asked, trying very hard not to laugh at the thought of Hermione on a broomstick.

"I am. I'll get my broom," Sadey said excitedly.

"Now you have to play, or it'll be uneven, Hermione," Harry said, looking at her, with a pleading stare. Hermione laughed at him, and gave in.

"Alright, alright. I'll play. But you have to get me a broom, I don't have one of my own," Hermione said lightheartedly.

"Not a problem. Follow me. Harry will you get my broom for me?" Ron asked, leading Hermione down the stairs.

"Sure. We'll meet you down in the orchard," Harry said, as Sadey disappeared to get her broom.

"Come on. We might get a few moments alone if we hurry," Ron said, taking her hand. Hermione giggled, as she was led to the shed in the backyard. Ron quickly got an old, beaten broom out of the shed, and led her to the usual clearing they used to play Quidditch in. They pair of them hid behind a large tree, and kissed each other passionately.

"We can't keep this a secret for much longer," Hermione whispered, as Ron took her hand, and kissed her palm. She looked around the trunk of the tree to see if anyone was coming, and was happy to say that the trail was clear. She kissed Ron again happily, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're right-you know," Ron said between kisses. "We can't-keep this a secret. I think-we should tell my mum-tonight-just so it's out in the open," he added, kissing her quickly. Hermione looked at him with a mixture of surprise, happiness, and fear. They then heard a distant laugh that signaled their friends were making their way down the path. Hermione quickly fixed Ron's collar, as he attempted to smooth her bushy hair. She wiped the lip-gloss off his lips last, and they came out from behind their tree.

"I told you it was a humming-bird Ron. Not everything in the world belongs in the magical community," Hermione said, taking the broom from him. Everyone looked at them strangely, but Hermione just shrugged them off.

"So who's playing who?" she asked, looking around at them all.

"Well I say we pick captains first. It's only fair," Fred said, throwing his broom over his shoulder.

"I nominate Harry," Ron said, raising his arm in the air.

"A-and I nominate Sadey!" Hermione responded, holding her hand up in the air. Sadey looked at her bewildered.

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked, as she was pulled beside Harry, to pick teams. Hermione nodded, grinning.

"Ladies first," Harry said, holding out a hand. Sadey looked at him strangely, but turned to the people standing before her.

"Hermione," she said shortly. Ron laughed out loud, as Hermione joined Sadey.

"Ron," Harry said, looking Sadey right in the eye.

"…George," Sadey said quietly, with a smirk. George turned to Fred, shook his twin's hand graciously, and took his place behind Sadey.

"Fred," Harry said finally. Fred joined his team, and they took a few moments to set the rules. They would only be playing three-on-three, and only chasers.

"It would seem they're at a disadvantage. We've got the only real chaser here," George said spiritedly. Sadey grinned at him, and mounted her broom. She kicked off the ground forcefully, and was joined in the air by George and Hermione.

"This should be interesting," Hermione said to Sadey, as the wind rushed passed their ears.

"Well, whatever happens, I don't care. I'm not even going to keep score," Sadey said. "It's too much pressure when you're competitive." The six of them took their places, while one used their wand to hold the Quaffel in position.

"One…two…"

_It's only a game. No one will hate me if we win,_ Sadey assured herself, as the Quaffel was dropped.


	3. Awkward Secrets

**AN: Sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. I had a bad case of writer's block, and with school, and preperations for the show I'm going to be in soon, everything has been sort of hectic. But here you are, chapter 3. Hope you all like. Happy Easter too!**

Hermione and Ron were starting to worry whether Harry and Sadey were ever going to get along. They never seemed to be on the same page, and preferred to be in separate rooms. One day, Hermione grabbed Ron and pulled him out of the tense room. She dragged him through the nearest door, and turned on the light.

"Ron, what are you and Harry doing? You're **both** ignoring Sadey. You're not helping our cause," Hermione said, with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Hermione, you do realize we're in a broom closet don't you?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Oh don't try to change the subject! I thought you and I had agreed that Harry needs someone in his life. And that Sadey was the one," Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"I know. But…I'm not so sure if Sadey is a good girlfriend for him…" Ron said candidly. Hermione looked at him in surprise, but her expression changed darkly, and she sat down on the crate.

"You don't even know her Ron. Maybe if you took the time to try and be friends with her, you would see the real Sadey, not the shy, keep-to-herself person she's being. She doesn't feel like she belongs, and you two aren't helping her feel any more welcome," Hermione said, turning away from him, and hunching her shoulders. Ron was stunned. Hermione seemed to be genuinely upset about what was going on. He knelt down beside the crate, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're right, we're not helping. But what Harry's seen of Sadey, he doesn't like. And I think Cho is still fresh in his mind. You saw how crushed he was when they didn't work out," Ron said, taking her hand. Hermione looked over at him, and grinned.

"Well we'll just have to try harder. We should go to Diagon Alley tonight. That might be a good idea," Hermione suggested. Ron grinned at her, and kissed her softly, before leading her out of the closet. They returned to the living room, and sat down quietly.

"So…what do you all think we should do tonight?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged. Sadey kept reading the magazine she had in her hands.

"I was thinking we might go to Diagon Alley. I heard it's very nice at night," Hermione said awkwardly. Harry shrugged again, and Sadey kept reading her magazine.

"Might be fun," she said after a while. Hermione beamed.

"Great. We can leave in a few hours. No need to rush about," Hermione said, sitting back in her seat. She gave a quiet sigh of relief. Sadey kept reading her magazine, and Harry looked from one person to the next.

"I'm going to the lake. Anyone want to join me?" Harry asked, heading for the stairs.

"Yeah. I'll go," Hermione said. "And so will Sadey," she added, grabbing her friend. Sadey rolled her eyes, but followed Hermione to their room. Ron followed Harry up to the room they were sharing too.

"Hermione, why are you dragging me along?" Sadey asked, taking her bathing suit out of her bag. Hermione looked at Sadey over her shoulder, and sighed.

"I'm going to burst if I don't tell someone soon. But you have to promise not to tell a soul. It's one of my most kept secrets," Hermione said, turning to her seriously.

"I promise, I won't tell anyone," Sadey said, intrigued.

"I'm dating Ron. And it's a new thing, and I'm kind of afraid of being totally alone with him. This way we can all hang out together, and if we want we can sneak off somewhere, but if we're alone we'll feel obliged to do something together. It's complicated, but we just don't want it to become a big thing with our friends and families. We want to wait to tell everyone when we're totally comfortable with what's going on," Hermione explained anxiously. She stared at Sadey for a moment, until the initial surprise of her words hit her friend.

"That's fantastic! Congratulations!" Sadey said enthusiastically, wrapping her friend in an enormous hug. Hermione laughed, as she was hugged, and but let go of Sadey and held her at arm's length.

"Now I think you have something you want to tell me," Hermione said suspiciously, but with a hint of excitement. Sadey blushed, but turned away. "Oh come on. I see the way you act when the boys are around! You get all shy, and quiet. It's cute!" Hermione exclaimed, following Sadey around the room.

"I don't know. He doesn't seem that interested in me. It's so hard to tell," Sadey thought. "Maybe I'd be better off without a guy this summer."

"Oh come on! Just wait until tonight; I know you'll have fun in Diagon Alley. And Ginny's coming home soon. She can come. And we'll be able to see Fred and George as well!" Hermione said happily. Sadey got very quiet at the mention of Fred and George.

"We'll see," was all she said. Then she went to the bathroom to change into her bathing suit.

The four of them walked slowly to the lake, soaking up the warm sun. It was a pleasant day, with a very light breeze, that didn't help much with the hot weather they were having. It took a little time to walk to the lake, as it was far down the small path into the forest, but it was worth it, as the forest wasn't very dense, so rays of sunshine would peak through the canopy, and warm them.

When they reached it, Hermione and Sadey sat on a large, flat rock not too far from the water's edge, and just talked for a time, while Ron and Harry jumped into the lake the first moment they could. The girls sat talking, as the boys swam peacefully in the water, occasionally saying something to the other.

Not long after they arrived, Sadey took off her shorts, and dove into the lake, followed by Hermione.

"So how's everyone's summer been so far?" Ron asked, floating on the surface.

"It's been okay," Hermione said, winking at Sadey.

"Mine's certainly gotten a lot better since I left the Dursleys," Harry said, sighing happily. Hermione and Ron looked to each other excitedly, the same idea popping into their heads.

"I'm not feeling so well. I'll be right back," she said, holding her stomach, and slouching out of the lake.

"I'll go with you. You know, just to make sure she's alright," Ron said, following her, and looking back at the others. Sadey looked at the both of them, and then at Harry.

"So…" she said nervously, swimming around.

"How's your summer been?" Harry asked, floating on his back in the clear water. Sadey shrugged in the water.

"It's okay. Nothing really exciting has been going on," she admitted, treading water. Then as she swam around the lake, she was pulled under water momentarily. Harry swam over to her quickly. He pulled her to the surface, as she coughed slightly, and rubbed water from her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, carrying her to a place in the water where he could stand, and examine her.

"Yeah, I just…must've caught my foot on something," she said, staring, enchanted, into Harry's eyes. He stared back at her, as she put a hand on his shoulder for support.

"You sure you're alright. I can take you back to the house if your not," Harry said, still staring at her. Their heads were getting progressively closer.

"I'm sure," Sadey said. _I may not like him all that much, but he did sort of rescue me, and all heroes deserve a reward,_ she thought to herself with a smile. Their noses were barely an inch apart now. As she reached up a hand to his cheek, they heard rustling from the trees.

"You two ready?" Ron asked, coming out from behind a large oak. Harry suddenly dropped Sadey under water, and back away from her. She came up coughing and sputtering.

"Yeah. Yeah, we're ready," Harry said, passing Sadey and grabbing a towel. Sadey glanced momentarily at him, clearly annoyed at his rudeness, but captivated none-the-less. She grabbed a towel herself, slipped on her sandals, and made her way back to the Burrow with Hermione.

"So," Ron said mockingly. Harry shrugged at him, and furrowed his eyebrows in a questioning way.

"So…"

"'So' what?" Harry asked, slightly aggravated.

"What was going on between you and Sadey?" Ron asked, nudging Harry in the ribs with his elbow. Harry's cheeks turned a light crimson.

"Nothing…was going on. She just caught her foot on something in the lake. I was making sure she was okay," Harry said, before walking away quickly.

> > >

"Oh, come on! I **know** something happened between you two. Your heads were practically a centimeter away, and he was holding you, and I know something happened, now tell me!" Hermione said impatiently, on the road back to the Weasleys' house.

"Nothing happened. He was just making sure I was okay after I caught my foot on something in the water. It was no big deal!" Sadey said, walking away from Hermione at a fast pace. Hermione looked behind her as Harry and Ron turned onto the small road, before turning to catch up with Sadey.

_I'll get them together this year. She can deny anything that happens all she wants, but I know she has feelings for Harry,_ Hermione thought slyly as she joined Sadey. She grinned slightly at her plan, but kept quiet.


	4. Epiphany

Hermione, Sadey, and Ginny all got ready to go to Diagon Alley for the night. Ginny had invited Dean along as well, and Fred and George would be joining them once they closed their shop. Ginny and Sadey hit it off well, and while Sadey was getting changed in the bathroom, Hermione filled Ginny in on her and Ron's plan to get the two of them together.

"I think it's a good idea!" Ginny said excitedly.

"What's a good idea?" Sadey asked from the doorway. Hermione smiled at her.

"You look lovely," Hermione commented, brushing the subject to the side.

"Thanks. And so do the two of you," she agreed, going to her trunk, and pulling out a small necklace.

"I've never seen you wear that before. Where'd you get it?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the piece of jewelry.

"That's because I made it in my spare time. Pretty interesting what you can do with a piece of fishing line, and a few charms and beads," Sadey said, looking at the choker in the mirror. She grabbed a hair tie, as Hermione put her wand in her pocket. Ginny looked at herself in the mirror one last time, before turning out of the room, and going down to the living room. Sadey slipped on her sandals, and followed Hermione down the stairs.

"I can't believe how hot it's been. I was totally unprepared for this," Hermione said, using her hand as a fan.

"The weatherman on the News channel said that a heat wave was going to come this week. It's supposed to last a while," Sadey said. Hermione stopped and stared at Sadey as she walked past.

"You're parents have a television?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"No! Oh hell, no. My aunt does. My father's muggle-born, and she's his sister," Sadey explained, laughing at the thought of her family owning a television.

"Oh. Of course," Hermione said grinning, and sitting down at the wooden table. Not long after they sat down, did Harry and Ron come down the stairs.

"Everyone ready?" Ron asked, pocketing his wand, and a few sickles.

"Yup. Dean's meeting us at the Golden Lady," Ginny said, turning to the hearth. Ron scowled behind her, but kept his thoughts to himself. Ginny was the first to travel to the restaurant. Harry followed. As Sadey disappeared, Ron rushed to Hermione, and kissed her fiercely.

"Oh, you don't know how long and how patiently I've waited to do that," Ron said, holding her in his arms.

"Oh, I think I have an idea. Now let me go, so I can go to the restaurant. If I don't hurry, people might get suspicious. She disappeared into the green flames.

When Ron appeared at the Golden Lady, he was unhappy to find that Ginny had jumped into the open arms of Dean Thomas, and was now kissing him blissfully.

"I think we should get a table," Ron said loudly, after clearing his throat. Hermione giggled behind her hand, and led everyone through to the dining room. She and Sadey took their seats, as Ron sat down in the closest seat to Hermione. Fred and George came in and took their seats down across from Sadey and Hermione, as Dean and Ginny took their own seats. Harry stood awkwardly, before taking the only empty seat, next to Sadey. Hermione grinned at Ron and Ginny. She had hoped Harry and Sadey would have to sit next to each other. They all opened their menus, and not long after ordered their dinners.

Some conversation was littering the air as they waited for their dinner. Sadey looked around at the people that were sitting with her. Dean and Ginny were staring into each other's eyes lovingly, saying something to each other in hushed tones; Ron had secretly grabbed Hermione's hand under the table, and Fred and George were talking brightly about their new business to Harry. But as Fred was explaining something to Harry about their jokes, George caught Sadey's eye. She couldn't bring her eyes away from him. Something about George was intriguing her, but she didn't quite know what it was. She finally drew her eyes away from him, and smiled nervously at Hermione, who gave her a look, as if asking _Are you alright?_ Not long after, their dinners arrived. Hermione and Sadey spent the time they ate to talk about little things from school, like the prefect meetings they would need to be attending during their 6th year at school. Fred, George, and Harry were engulfed in a conversation about Quidditch, but every once in a while, Sadey would catch George stealing glances of her. Around the end of the meal, Sadey did try and talk to Harry. As Ron was paying for dinner, Sadey pulled Harry aside.

"Listen, about what happened earlier…I wanted to apologize," she said, lowering her eyes.

"What do you mean? You didn't do anything but get hurt," Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He actually believed he was getting feelings for her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Well I'm happy to hear I wasn't a burden," she said, taking his hand in hers for a moment, before walking off to join Hermione. He stared after her for a moment before being joined by Fred and George.

"How about you give me a little tour of your shop?" Harry suggested, wanting to take his mind off Sadey for the first time in hours.

"Sounds good," Fred said excitedly. "You coming George?"

"No, I think I…I think I've spent enough time at the shop for today," George said, distractedly.

"Oh, well have fun, whatever you do," Fred said, leading Harry off down the Alley. Ginny and Dean were heading off toward the ice cream shop, and Hermione, Ron and Sadey were sitting on a low wall by the restaurant. George walked over to them with his hands in his pockets and sat down.

"What are you three up to? Not planning to get into any trouble I hope," George teased, looking at the three of them over Sadey's shoulder. She moved back to let him into their conversation, and her hand brushed his. She blushed quickly, and held her hands in her lap.

"Nothing going on here. Hermione, Sadey and I were just talking about maybe going on a boat ride," Ron said.

"Oh, I don't think I'm going to go. I tend to get a little motion sick on boats," Sadey said with a laugh.

"Oh. Well I'll feel bad just leaving you here…" Hermione said, looking from Sadey to Ron.

"No, you two go. Have fun," Sadey assured her.

"Don't worry. I'll look after her," George said with a grin.

"I'm sure you will," Ron mumbled, rolling his eyes, and smirking. The two of them walked off, leaving Sadey and George alone.

"What do you say to an ice cream cone? My treat," George tempted, standing up, and walking away toward the ice cream parlor.

"I say an ice cream cone would be really lovely right about now," Sadey said, standing up, and following him. "Surprising how busy the Alley is this time of day," Sadey said, walking through the crowd. Suddenly a man came between them, and separated the pair for a moment.

"A person could get lost in this pack," George said, taking her hand. Sadey looked up at him, but held onto him tightly, as to not get lost. When they reached the small shop, George ordered strawberry and peanut butter cones for the two of them, and they sat down at a small café style table in the outdoor dining area. Sadey looked around at the place, as she licked her dessert. There were small trees set around the iron fence, and small strings of lights had been strung between them, and made a checkered pattern above them. It was a very calm, romantic setting. As she was marveling at the decorations, George stared at her, eating his own treat.

"Let's get out of here. Just go for a walk," George said, standing up, and taking her hand again. He led her down the Alley and they looked at the different shops, talking about Quidditch, pranks, school, and the future; almost everything. Sadey found it extremely easy to talk to George, and she liked being in his company. When they finished with their dessert, they threw out the paper that was around the cone, and sat down on a low wall.

"Oh, you have…a spot on your cheek," George said, reaching over to brush it off. As he did, he leaned in closer. Sadey closed her eyes, and kissed him gently. Something inside of her burst, and everything felt so right with him there. After a moment, they broke apart. Sadey smiled shyly at him, as he brushed his thumb on her cheek. She reached up, and placed her hand over his, as he smiled back at her, and leaned in for another kiss, a little more passionate than before. Sadey moved closer to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

As they kissed, a pair of green eyes caught a glimpse of them, and stared.

Harry walked away from the scene heatedly, his heart burning with jealously. He thought he had found a girl that he would finally be happy with, and now she was stolen away from him. _Of course this is my fault for not making a move sooner!_ he thought irritably, kicking a trash can down a dark alley. He walked fiercely toward the Leaky Cauldron, and returned to the Burrow, fuming, and annoyed.


	5. Tragic Bliss

"How was your night, mate?" Ron asked, appearing from the fireplace. He hit Harry lightly on the shoulder.

"Fine," Harry answered in a monotone. He was sitting on the couch in the living room of the Burrow. "Where are the others?" he asked, trying to get the conversation away from him.

"Dunno. We split from Sadey and George a while ago, and you left with Fred at the restaurant. Haven't seen any of you all night," Hermione said, sitting down heavily.

"Oh." Harry's tone was almost dark.

"You sure you're alright?" Ron asked, sitting down next to him, and looking at him skeptically. Harry looked over at Ron, and gave him a downhearted grin.

"I'm fine. I think I'm going up to bed. See you in the morning," he said, disappearing up the twisted stair case. Suddenly a burst of green flames announced the arrival of Sadey. She looked as though she were floating on clouds. Her hair curled stubbornly with happiness, and her eyes twinkled in bliss.

"Looks like someone had a good night," Hermione said with a smirk. Sadey just smiled at her.

"I feel like I could burst! I had the most amazing night! Everything was so perfect…" she said, her eyes glossing over at the memory. Hermione looked excitedly at Ron.

"What happened?" Ron asked, nudging forward on his seat, to listen.

"Oh, it was so…romantic. We went for a walk down the Alley, bought ice cream and sat under the lights at the parlor. Then he wanted to get away from any crowds, so we went walking farther down the Alley, and just talked about…well it felt like we talked about everything," Sadey said with a laugh. "Then, when we were at the end of the Alley, we sat on a low wall…and he kissed me under the stars!" Hermione almost squealed with delight, but restrained herself. "Oh, I'm going up to bed, and writing this down in my diary," she said in an airy voice. She got up, and seemed to glide up the stairs. Ron and Hermione didn't even hear her footsteps on the normally groaning stairs. Hermione looked at Ron with a sly smile playing across her lips.

"It worked!" she exclaimed, jumping into his arms, and knocking him back.

"I don't know Hermione. If it really did work, Harry would be a bit happier about it. You know how he is. He probably wouldn't have been down here," Ron protested, holding her waist. Hermione collapsed on his chest, and let her arm dangle over the edge of the couch. She laid her head on his chest, thinking.

"Well maybe he doesn't want it to be a very well known thing. Like what we're doing," Hermione suggested, set on the idea of Harry and Sadey being together.

"Hmm…then why would Sadey tell us about her night?" Ron asked, lifting her head up to look at her. Hermione dropped her head into his chest again, but looked up a second later.

"How about we talk to each of them? I'll try and find out anything I can from Sadey, and you talk to Harry. Then we can get the story straight," Hermione suggest, getting up slowly.

"Sounds good to me. If it's important, I'll knock on your door. If not, then I'll see you in the morning. Anything you find out from Sadey is most likely good news," Ron said, following her up the stairs. Hermione gave him a peck on the cheek before slipping into the room she shared with Sadey.

"So…you seemed to have had a good night," Hermione said, taking out her pajamas to change. Sadey smiled at her, as though saying "Well **that's **an understatement."

"I had a brilliant time. The evening was just so…there's no other word for it…magical," Sadey said dreamily. Hermione flashed her a friendly grin, sure that the night wasn't exactly what Sadey described, but knew her friend was in love.

"So…he was nice to you?" Hermione asked awkwardly, trying to pry any small detail from her.

"Oh he was so sweet. But I knew he was. He and David were pretty good friends, so I saw him a lot at my house during the summer holidays," Sadey said, resting her head against the wall, and closing her eyes. A small smile played on her lips. Hermione froze, a questioning look on her face. She hid this from Sadey, but her brain started working. Sadey had gone off with George, when Harry had gone off with Fred. They wouldn't have had time to meet up again and still have time to do what Sadey had described. _Sadey…Sadey must have fallen in love with George! _Hermione thought dismally. _All this time, I thought she had fallen for Harry, but it was George! How could I have been so stupid! No wonder Harry was so upset when he came back. He must have seen them together, and realized he actually had feelings for her…_

Suddenly there was a light knock on the door. Sadey looked around at Hermione, as Hermione made her way for the hall.

"Did you hear something?" Sadey asked, putting down her journal, and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"No," Hermione lied, twisting her hands behind her back.

"Are you sure, because I thought I heard…"

"I didn't hear anything. I swear," Hermione lied again, when Sadey crossed her arms in front of her, and tilted her head to one side.

"Then why'd you get up?" Sadey asked suspiciously.

"I'm thirsty. I'm going to get a drink of water. You want anything?" Hermione asked, starting for the door.

"No, I'm-I'm fine," Sadey said slowly, sitting back down. _Hermione's acting odd…_ she thought, taking her diary back in her lap, and writing down more to her current entry.

"Oh Ron, this is terrible! Well…it's wonderful, but it's terrible!" Hermione said, pacing the room. Ron sat with his head in his hands.

"She fell for your brother! And now Harry's heartbroken! Oh, what are we going to do?" she asked dramatically, sitting down on the couch next to him, and holding her hands in her lap.

"Nothing. There's nothing we **can** do," he said after a while. He took Hermione into his lap, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he put his arm around her waist. "We have to let them figure this out. I know Harry better than he knows himself. Whether she's dating my brother, or even Draco Malfoy, he'll fight for her," Ron said, rubbing her back in an assuring way.

"I hope you're right…but then again I don't. I know Sadey; she doesn't get much happiness in her life. It's wonderful to see stars in her eyes, and watch her soar whilst being on the ground," Hermione said, looking back up at Ron. She put her forehead on his and closed her eyes.

"They'll work it out. I think we should concentrate on 'us' for a while though," Ron said with a grin, and kissed her gently.

The next day, breakfast was tense. Harry ate silently, while Hermione had a stiff conversation with Sadey about Quidditch. Ron didn't even eat. He sat back in his chair and observed the scene before him. He caught Harry look to Sadey every once in a while, flashing her a look that Ron couldn't read. But once Sadey would feel his gaze on her, Harry went back to his breakfast, before he was caught.

Hermione had told Sadey about Harry the previous night, leaving Sadey to think hard about what had happened, and what would happen. She would give Harry a pitying look whenever she saw him, not from his own troubles, but from the trouble she caused him. She knew what it felt like to love someone from afar, and watch them as they were happy with whomever they shared their life with. She had done the same exact thing with him the previous year…

**AN: I know, short chapter. But the next couple will only be fillers. Then, I dunno when, I'm going to heat things up a little…hehe. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers. They are very much appreciated. And so is constructive criticism. I'm always up for ways to improve my writing skills. Anyway, hope you like this chapter a little. It was kinda corny, but I think it needed to be in there.**


	6. Confessions

They had only been at The Burrow for two weeks. They still had almost half the summer before they would be packing their things and traveling to Kings Cross Station to return to Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron still hadn't admitted to their secret relationhip, while Sadey and George were gaining tremendous praise from Mrs. Weasley. Harry hadn't even looked at Sadey the week following their visit to Diagon Alley, and spent much time talking about nothing in particular with Ginny. They rarely spent much time in the same room. The heat forced them apart as well.

But finally, the three week heat wave ended, along with the drought that accompanied it. Everyone was sitting around the empty hearth. Harry and Ron were lazily playing Wizards' Chess, Hermione and Ginny were discussing something in hushed tones, while casting brief glances at everyone around them, and Sadey was curled up on the couch, reading her latest letter from George. The sun was just beginning to set, when the rain came. Everyone smiled and glanced at the ceiling while raindrops pattered on the roof. Mrs. Weasley was the only one in a sour mood about it.

"Every time it begins to rain, I work my wand down to the core to keep this house clean!" she exclaimed with a wave of her wand. Obediently, several pots and pitchers flew to systematic spots around the room, to catch leaking rainwater. "Ron, Ginny, would you be dears, and make sure nothing leaks in your rooms?" Mrs. Weasley asked, taking out extra pots, and placing them on the table. They both nodded, grabbed a pot or pitcher, and went up to their rooms, to make sure no water dripped in. Hermione was about to go to the room she and Sadey shared, when Sadey stopped her,

"I'll take care of our room Hermione," she assured her, gingerly folding her letter, and taking a large pitcher. Hermione smiled, and watched her go. When she was out of earshot though, Hermione shifted closer to Harry.

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out between you two. I know how you feel about her," Hermione said sadly. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, some things aren't supposed to work for me. Maybe I'm just not supposed to be happy," Harry concluded depressingly.

"Oh, no. Don't think like that. Of course you're supposed to be happy. Everyone deserves some form of happiness," Hermione said, moving closer to him, and trying to look into his down-turned face. Harry smirked in an I-don't-think-so sort of way. "You can't give up on her. I know Sadey, and you can't make a relationship last with her just by sending letters. And it's been nearly a week since we came back from Diagon Alley, and we haven't seen hide nor hair of George," Hermione said optimistically. Harry looked to Hermione as she said her last piece of advice; "You've got to fight for her."

At that moment, Sadey, Ron and Ginny all came downstairs.

"I'm going outside," Sadey announced, heading for the door.

"But it's pouring!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Exactly," Sadey said with a glint in her eye. She disappeared out into the garden. Hermione nudged Harry in the ribs.

_Go after her,_ she mouthed, nodding her head toward the door. Harry stared at her, then followed Sadey outside. Hermione looked around and smiled at Ron and Ginny. They both smiled back, and Ron gave her a thumb's up.

Harry stepped into the cooling rain, and looked up. Surprisingly, there weren't that many clouds in the sky.

"It's called a sun shower," Sadey said, staring up at the sky herself. She closed her eyes, spread out her arms and stuck out her tongue to catch raindrops. Harry stared at her, as she did so. He made to move closer to her, and just at he did, she took off around the yard. "Rain has always been my favorite weather. Especially in the summer," she explained. Harry smiled at her and watched her dance around the flower beds. Her hair was already soaked, but kept its curling fashion, and there were raindrops on her eyelashes.

"So what are you doing out here anyway?" Sadey asked, looking at him, and holding her hand out to feel the water.

"I wanted to cool off. It's been too hot this summer," he said, moving towards her.

"I agree," she nodded, sitting down on the bench. Harry sat down heavily next to her. They sat in an awkward silence for a while.

"Have you ever gone dancing in the rain?" Sadey asked, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Harry shook his head, and raindrops flew everywhere.

"No, I've never really been outside when it rained either," he admitted.

"It's really fun," she said, standing up, and pulling him to his feet.

"But there's no music," he said, as she began to twirl.

"Let the rain be your music," she said, gracefully spinning. But when she was mid-spin, Harry spontaneously grabbed her wrist, pulled her closer, and kissed her. Something inside of him exploded, as he closed his eyes, and held her face gently. Sadey didn't pull away from him as he thought she would, but rather kissed him back. She had loved him from afar all those years at Hogwarts, and now, here she was, standing in the pouring rain, and kissing him passionately. She reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, as the kiss deepened. Then, as suddenly as they started to embrace, something inside of her snapped. Her eyes flew open, and she pulled away from him.

"What just happened!" she asked incredulously.

"We just kissed," Harry said, staring at her, smiling slightly.

"Oh…my…G-how did it happen? Why did it happen? Oh, Great Wizards! What will George think if he found out? What are we going to do?" she nearly screamed. She felt herself starting to sway, and put a hand to her head. Just when she was going to fall, Harry caught her, and placed her on the bench.

"I have to tell you, that was not the response I thought I would get," Harry said, wanting to laugh, but unable to. Sadey stared at him with a mix of surprise, shock, worry, and several other emotions he couldn't read. "I'll tell you this now; I saw you and George kiss in Diagon Alley. If you remember that was the day we almost kissed in the lake. It was also the day I realized how much I cared for you. Sadey I avoided even looking at you for three days after that. And this is as close I've been to you physically all week. I don't know what these feeling are, and I don't think I want to know. But I do know that I care for you, and it hurts me to see you with George, whom you haven't even seen since that night in Diagon Alley," Harry said without skipping a beat. Sadey stared at him, half of her wanting to believe him, half of her believing this was all a fairy tale. Here was the boy she had convinced her heart was the only person in the world for her, spilling his heart out to her about how he felt for her. She didn't know what to do.

_Does he really feel like this for me? If he doesn't it's a cruel joke. Or is he simply acting out of jealousy? Could we be happy together…_ she thought hard, looking anywhere but at Harry's face. She put a hand up to her head again, as Harry took her other in his, and massaged it gently.

"I want to believe you, Harry. I really do. But I have to wonder if you're only acting out of jealousy, or if this could last. I mean, you barely know me. You didn't even know I existed until two weeks ago. Yeah, you may have seen me on the Quidditch pitch, during practice or games, but that's out of competition, not friendship. Could you keep this passion you have, for someone you barely know?" she asked wisely. Without a second thought, Harry nodded.

"Hermione's told me about you. I know that's not the best way to get to know a person, but I believe I know enough about you to start. Part of being with someone is getting to know them. Not knowing them from the start. If I knew you, like Hermione does, then I would think of you more as a friend than a potential girlfriend. It's the mystery that intrigues people, not the answer," Harry said, convinced that he was slowly winning her heart. Sadey sighed.

"I just don't know what to do. I mean, I have George. I can't just leave him without a reason. And he would probably hate you if you stole me away from him. You would need to read one of his letters to understand," she said with a frown. She stood up, and walked around the garden again. "I just don't know how I can decide. I'm convinced I love George, but ever since third or fourth year, I've been convinced that I've been in love with you."

Without warning, Harry pulled her close, and kissed her again. Sadey's heart melted. She momentarily forgot all of her problems, and something assured her that everything would be alright. This time, their kiss broke a little more gently than before. Sadey's breath came shakily, and a tear ran down her cheek, mixing with the rain trails down her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, before running back into the house, leaving Harry standing in the rain, the sun now completely set.


	7. Hurt

Hermione and Ron were sitting in the living room, and playing Wizards' Chess, when Sadey burst through the door. She was walking briskly toward the stairs, and kept her face hidden. She was drenched, and silent. They didn't think anything of it, until Harry came in a little while later. He came in, and sat down heavily on the couch, not caring that his clothes were sopping wet, and almost unaware to Hermione and Ron sitting next to him. Hermione looked worriedly at Ron, urging him to say something.

"Er- how'd it go, mate?" Ron asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. Harry stared at nothing in particular for a moment, and then suddenly realized there were other people around.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, putting a hand to his forehead, and staring at his face with a concerned expression. Harry looked up at her with sad eyes; the boyish glint was gone, and the color had left his face.

"I'll be fine," he said, with a very forced smile. As he ascended the stairs, he gave them one last grin, and said, "Don't worry about me."

"Sure. You only look sick as a dog, and are acting strange," Ron muttered when he was out of earshot.

"What do you think happened?" Hermione asked, leaning over the chess board. She knocked over several pieces, which stood up bitterly, muttering nonsense at her.

"I don't know. But I don't think it's a very brilliant idea to talk to him about it," Ron said, sitting back in his chair. Hermione sighed, and dropped her hands in her lap.

"This is getting too dramatic. I feel like we're in a Soap Opera," she said, laying her head back.

"You feel like we're in an Opera about soap?" Ron asked strangely.

"No, no, it's...never mind," she said, too tired to explain anything at the moment. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight," she said, standing up, and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Sleep tight," Ron said, starting to put away the chess pieces.

Hermione walked up the stairs, but stopped as she passed the bathroom. She could hear crying from inside. Gingerly, she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Sadey asked, sniffing slightly.

"Everything okay in there?" Hermione asked, leaning up against the door.

"Yeah…well, no actually. Oh, I don't know," Sadey cried, erupting into a fit of sobs.

"Well can I come in? It will be a lot easier to talk, if it's not through a door." She distinctly heard Sadey giggle.

"Sure," she said, unlocking the door. Hermione slipped inside, and closed the door behind her.

"So is everything really okay?" Hermione asked, looking keenly at her. Sadey tried to smile, but it soon turned to a frown, and she burst with tears.

"Everything's going wrong. It all started in third year when I started to like Harry. Now, here I am, in his best friend's house, spending the summer with him, and my best friend. I'm going out with my brother's 'partner in crime', and I just kissed Harry-"

"You kissed Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"Yeah…but I didn't know what I was doing. He kissed **me** actually. And said that he realized he wanted to 'be with me'," she explained, sniffing occasionally, and trying to wipe away her tears with her hands.

"So? What happened?" Hermione asked, sitting down next to her on the edge of the tub.

"What do you mean 'what happened?', I told you 'what happened'," Sadey said, staring at her hands in her lap.

"No, I mean with you," Hermione said, placing a hand on Sadey's shoulder.

"Oh. Well, I just have so many things going through my head. First off, what will George think if-no **when** he finds out! And then, the fact that what I've always wanted to happen since I was 13, just happened, at a time that couldn't be less perfect. Plus, I still like him! And I feel bad, because I really like George, but a part of me knows it would never work out." Sadey collapsed into her friend's arms, as she attempted to comfort her. Hermione felt so sorry for Sadey. She must be so confused and worried.

"Don't you worry. Everything will turn out alright in the end. You'll see," Hermione said gently, embracing her in a friendly hug. Sadey nodded against Hermione's shoulder, as tears fell down her face. "Come on. You need to get into bed, and just relax for the rest of the night," Hermione said, leading Sadey up, and out of the bathroom. They traipsed to their room, and got quietly into bed. Not long after, they were both asleep.

> > >

Everything was far from okay. Harry only kept moping around, but instead of just leaving the room when Sadey entered, he gave her a yearning look. Hermione caught this, and knew Sadey had seen. Sadey would only look away, and her eyes would gloss over.

On a day much like this, Fred and George appeared in the living room. They wore huge grins, but their looks changed as soon as they saw the depressing faces surrounding them.

"What's wrong with you lot?" Fred asked, sitting down next to Ginny. George went over to Sadey, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before sitting down beside her, and putting his arm around her. Ron looked automatically at Harry, who had finally decided he could stand being in the same room with her. His face was dark, and his eyes seemed to burn. He quickly stood up, and left the room.

"What's bothering him?" George asked obliviously, as they heard a door close loudly. Sadey stared after him, and felt water sting behind her eyes, but held her tears. She didn't want to have to explain anything, so she gently laid her head on George's shoulder. Hermione glanced at the two of them, and found herself getting angry.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Sadey," Hermione said, jumping out of her seat, and seizing Sadey by the arm. She led her out of the house, and into the yard.

"That hurt!" Sadey exclaimed, rubbing the spot where Hermione had held.

"What is wrong with you? You say you know that something will never work out with George, and yet, here you are, acting as though everything's fine!" Hermione cried heatedly.

"I know, but-"

"'But' what? You want to torture Harry more, and make him believe that you love George, which by the way, almost everyone can tell you don't! Here you are, with a guy, who is completely not right for you, and you'd rather stay with him, and let, probably, the most wonderful guy you could ever get pass you by! I don't understand you," Hermione said, crossing her arms, and turning away from Sadey.

"Why is this making **you** so mad? I'm the one that should be getting upset, not you. You think I like hurting Harry so much? It kills me! I just don't know how to break it to George. He's convinced that I'm his 'one', the person he belongs with. If you think you know what to do, answer me this: How do you tell a guy that loves you, and believes you love him, that you don't?" Sadey said, her voice steadily growing louder with frustration.

"Easy, Sadey. You just tell him the truth. Tell him that you don't love him, and that you love Harry! Tell him that you kissed Harry, and you've always liked him. He would rather know the truth now, than find out after he proposes to you, or something crazy like that. You can't go on living a lie anymore. Look what it's doing to you!" Hermione said, turning back to her. She was getting herself worked into hysterics. How could her friend be so stubborn and stupid?

"You really think I should just tell him? You think if I make a clean break, we'll both be okay? I don't believe so. I might be okay, but where does that leave George? I don't want to hurt anymore people. I just want to live my life," Sadey bawled.

"Sadey, believe me. If you don't tell him soon, he will get hurt. More so than he will, if you just tell him now, before he gets too involved with you," Hermione said, calming herself down. With that, she turned away from her friend, and returned to the house. Sadey huffed slightly, and turned away from the Burrow. She needed to go for a walk, and think about everything that they both just said.

_Maybe Hermione's right. Maybe I should just make a clean break. Oh, what kind of mess did I get myself into?_ Sadey thought, as she entered the apple orchard.


	8. The Ending

**AN: This is not the last chapter. That's just what I decided to name the chapter. All my faithful readers, don't worry. I wouldn't end it here!**

> > >

Sadey did a lot of thinking while she was in the orchard. She finally had time to herself, without the constant stares of her friends. She was able to clear her head, sit down, and just take in the beautiful things still left in the world, that were right in front of her, but hard to see. Then it hit her. That's exactly what Harry was. He was a great guy, wanting to be with her, and she looked straight past him, to George. She decided for once not to do the proper thing in her life, and take a chance. She wanted to care more about her own feelings for once, rather than what other people might think.

As she stood up, and marched out of the orchard, she knew what she had to do. But when she returned to the Burrow, the person she was looking for was no where to be found.

Sadey went to look for George, thinking about what she might say, while she threw floo powder into the fire. Green flames licked the edges of the hearth, as Sadey stepped into them, and shouted, "Diagon Alley" as clearly as she could.

Meanwhile, Hermione was searching their room for nothing in particular, when she stumbled across a black marble notebook. It had doodles on the cover, and it was taped at the edges, and was clearly on the verge of having every sheet of paper filled. She figured it was Sadey's diary, so went to return it to its place, when curiosity took over. She sat on the bed, and furiously began flipping through pages.

Sadey was running through the Alley, avoiding witches and wizards of all ages, searching for a specific shop. She soon found it. It was a bright orange, and had large showcases in the windows, of wands, candies, and a number of different ornaments. On a large sign over the doorway, the words "Weasley Wizard Wheezes" was written in Large green lettering. Sadey stepped inside, and was greeted with a smiling face. Then it fell to a slight frown, and the first thought through Sadey's head was, _Oh God, he knows! _But then "George" turned around and yelled, "Hey Georgie! Get out here, your girlfriend came to see you!"

Sadey sighed, as she realized it was Fred at the counter. George came around the corner, and broke into the widest smile she had ever seen.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you here," George said, walking up to her, and kissing her on the forehead. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's find-er, fine. I was just wondering if I could talk to you in private," Sadey said breathily, placing a hand on his wrist. George looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah. We can go to the back," he said, leading her around the counter and into a small room with a desk and a few chairs. Papers littered the desk top, and floor, and a few were even messily pinned to the walls. "So…what's up?" George asked, taking a seat.

"First off, I just want to apologize," Sadey said, shakily taking a seat.

"For what?" George asked with a timid laugh.

"For what I'm about to say…" Sadey said, staring at the floor.

> > >

Hermione read a few entries from the diary, mostly from when they were kids, but then she found one with hearts all over it, and read hastily.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today, I met an angel in disguise. His name is Harry Potter, and he's the handsomest boy I've ever seen. And the boy can fly! It was our first match against Gryffindor today, and I sort of blame myself for the loss, as it's my first year on the House team, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Harry. He soared through the air like he was a breeze or something. It looked so natural. And the way he looks handsome, no matter what kind of situation he's in. Like when he dove for the snitch, he didn't pull up fast enough, and got into a nasty little accident, but he still looked beautiful. I'm totally in love. Now, I know I'm only 13, but you just know these things. Heck, my aunt and uncle have been together since they were 15. Now they're 55! These things work out._

_I just can't wait to see him again…he won't even know me; I mean they hardly announce my name at the matches, but that doesn't bother me. He'll notice me soon enough. I'm not giving up on him like I gave up on Ryan, that's for sure! Oh, what…I never told you about Ryan…sorry. Well he's history. Anyway, there's another Quidditch match in a couple weeks, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. I'll be able to see him again, as we don't have any classes together._

_Sharing all my secrets,_

_Sadey Rowena_

Hermione closed the diary for a moment, and sighed hopelessly. Her friend truly was in love with Harry. Or at least she used to be. Hermione didn't know what to do, but she knew, that whatever happened, she needed to get them together. So, she went on, picking out random diary entries to read.

> > >

"But I don't understand…you want to…"

"Break-up. I'm really sorry about all of this. I truly am. You have to believe, the last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you. And that's not one of those cheesy break-up lines; that really is the last thing I want. But I just need to make some decisions to make **me** truly happy for once," Sadey explained, placing her hands on George's.

"And I don't make you happy?" George asked the hurt clear in his voice.

"No, no. That's not the case at all. I just need to take an opportunity that will be for my own good, and that I've waited for, for a long time. This is something that if I don't chase, there's a very good chance I won't have to opportunity to take it again," Sadey said, trying to comfort George.

"I just don't know what happened. We were happy. You were happy. And now, you're just throwing all of that away?" George asked. Sadey was starting to get a little aggravated, but knew it must be hard on him, and knew that she would feel the same way if someone broke up with her. So she kept her composure.

"I'm not throwing it all away. I'll always cherish what we had, no matter how long it lasted. You are a very handsome, smart, funny, and intelligent guy. I know you'll make some girl out there feel as important and wonderful as you made me feel," she said comfortingly.

"Well why can't you be the special girl that I make feel important?" George asked with a crack of a smile. Sadey half-smiled, and looked him in the eyes.

"Because we belong with different people," she said gently, with a grin. George looked at her with sad eyes, but by the way he looked at her, she knew he understood. She patted his hand, kissed him on the cheek, and left quietly. She took her time returning to the Burrow, knowing that Hermione would congratulate her, that Ron and Mrs. Weasley would give her hell for breaking up with George, and that she would need to regain the trust of Harry, before she even thought of trying to become his girlfriend.

> > >

"Harry? I think there's something you need to see," Hermione said, knocking gently on the open door of the room he and Ron shared. Hermione handed him a black marble notebook, with a marked page.

"What's this?" Harry asked, sitting up on his bed, and taking the book.

"Just read that page there," Hermione said, sitting down next to him, and wrapping her arm around his in a friendly way.

Harry opened up to the page, and began to read…


	9. Dear Diary

_Dear Diary,_

_You know that feeling when you spin around with your arms wide open, in a large, open field, and then you fall down, and then the sky looks like its spinning? At that one moment, it feels like the whole universe is revolved around you. That's how I felt this afternoon. Things around here have been pretty hectic, as you know. What with George, and Harry, and Hermione and Ron. But especially me. I don't know what's wrong with me, but that's beside the point._

_Anyway, it **finally** started to rain, so I went outside. One, because it was really, really hot, and two, because the living room had so much tension, you could cut it with a knife! _

_When I got outside, it was beautiful! The sun was setting, and the rain was falling. Sun showers are my favorite. I just stood for a moment enjoying the rain, when I heard a door close. I looked, and I saw Harry standing there, looking so out of place. I didn't know what came over me. I just couldn't keep my composure, or at least it felt like that. Every time I said something, it seemed wrong, and stupid. Even when I said, 'So what are you doing out here anyway?' I felt so stupid. Why else would he be outside? He was hot too, and wanted to feel the rain. So we talked for a few minutes, and we sat down on the bench outside. After a little while we ran out of things to say, so I started dancing in the rain, one of my favorite things to do, when suddenly, I felt him grab my wrist, and pull me towards him. _

_I don't know what happened, all I know is time seemed to slow down. He pulled me close to him, and kissed me. I thought I would die! It was amazing, just standing there, so close to him, and **kissing** him. Everything was perfect…for about five seconds. Then I suddenly realized I was dating George (I'm sorry for forgetting about you sweetie!), but I was kissing the wrong guy. I didn't want to betray George. I mean, I was happy with him. And there I was, kissing Harry, who is not my boyfriend, and probably never will be, whether I want him to or not (I've only wanted him to be my boyfriend since third year). Thoughts raced through my head, and I was very confused. Oh man…I didn't know what to do. We talked for a little while, and he so passionate about me, I was speechless (perhaps more passionate about me than Quidditch! That's an almost scary thought). I wanted to just collapse on him, and I wanted nothing more than to tell him how I felt, but I couldn't. I'm with George! I felt so bad, until he kissed me again. I didn't pull away from him at the end, but all I said was "I'm sorry", and ran away. I didn't know what else to do._

_I ran away from him as fast as I could, and ran all the way up to the third floor bathroom. What else was I supposed to do? I was scared, and worried, and man was I sick. I kept thinking about what George would think if he found out, and I started crying. I was so scared that he was going to find out, and leave me. Just up and leave, without a backwards glance. Then Hermione came up, and heard me crying I guess, and we talked for a little while. I told her what happened, and she didn't seem surprised. I guess she talked to Harry, and the two of them are such good friends she was bound to know something was wrong. But she told me that everything was going to be alright, and that I just needed to rest._

_So, here I am, with so many thoughts in my head, I'm making a mental and physical note to buy a pensieve sometime. Hermione's just brushing her teeth, and when she gets back, she's going to turn out the light, and force me to go to sleep, like any good friend would (ha-ha) and I guess I'll just try and figure everything out in the morning…_

_Sharing all my secrets,_

_Sadey Rowena_

Harry finished reading the entry, and looked up at Hermione; a little shocked that she would steal her friend's diary, and let him read such a personal entry. He opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped him.

"I know what you're going to say, and you're right. I shouldn't have taken her diary, but I thought you needed to know how she felt. She deeply cares for you, but she's torn between her love for…well, all people really. She always feels like she needs to please everyone, and it puts a lot of pressure on her. But she does like you. Probably even loves you and you need to know how true she'll be," Hermione said, patting him on the arm. "Now if you want, you can read the next entry. It's her latest."

Harry gave Hermione a small smile before opening up to the next page.

_Dear Diary,_

_Harry better thank Hermione. He doesn't know how wonderful she truly is. She finally got through to me about the situation with Harry and George. And she's right, as always. I need to break it off with George, before he gets too involved, and gets deeply hurt when I leave him (it's inevitable, I know I will. I don't feel as strongly for him as I do for Harry). _

_I'm leaving in the morning. I'm going to go and tell George how I feel, and break it off with him. I know I'm ruining a good thing, but if I don't try for Harry when I have the chance, I'll never forgive myself. _

_So we'll see what happens._

_Sharing all my secrets,_

_Sadey Rowena_

Harry felt shocked. His stomach seemed to disappear, and be filled with butterflies at the same time. He turned to Hermione, who was smiling at him. He smiled back, and gave her a tight hug.

"But remember, you need to wait until she tells you before you go right up to her, and kiss her. Or she'll know we read her diary." Harry nodded. Hermione took the small book from his lap, closed it with a snap, and marched down the stairs to her room. Harry stared after her, and lay back on his bed. Not long after, he heard Sadey return, but she didn't come right up. He wondered why, but lay still, wondering what it might be like to actually be her boyfriend. He didn't care about anyone else at the moment. Of course he felt bad for George, because he knew how much George cared for Sadey. But the thought of Sadey being with him at last was too much to bear.

After a long while, Harry was still lying in bed, thinking about the upcoming school year, and Quidditch, and especially Sadey, when he heard the stairs outside his room creak. Ron entered the room, but stood in the shadows.

"Sadey wants to talk to you," Ron said with a dark tone. Harry thought he would burst, but kept his composure, and pretended that he was still mad at her. Ron stood aside, and motioned for her to enter. She stepped through the threshold of the doorway, and the room seemed significantly brighter, despite her sad expression.

"Hey," she said, waving nervously, then returning her hands behind her back. She twisted them out of habit, and looked anywhere in the room, but at Harry.

"Right; well I'll leave you two to talk," Ron said, ducking out of the room, and closing the door so they would have some more privacy.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Harry asked, playing with a miniature model of his Firebolt that he bought at the Quidditch World Cup.

"Yeah…I just don't exactly know what to say," she admitted, shifting her weight. There was a long silence, before Harry motioned for her to sit down. She cautiously pulled a chair around to face him, and sat down on the edge of it.

"So? What's so important?" Harry asked, disgusted at himself for using such a rude tone with her. She looked slightly taken aback, and hurt.

"I just thought I should tell you, I broke up with George today. I want to start spreading it around before Mrs. Weasley starts to plan our wedding or something," Sadey explained, a hint of loathing in her voice.

"You…you did what?" Harry asked, putting on an act. He was quite pleased with how convincing he was being.

"I broke up with George. I realized there was something better for me, I was just too stubborn to see it," she said, staring at the single bare piece of floor in the room. She was quite interested in the winding pattern of the wood. Harry sat up slowly, staring intently at her.

"And what was that 'something'?" Harry asked, trying to look into her face. She kept looking away from him though. She didn't want him to see her eyes glossing over.

"You," she whispered, as a single teardrop fell gracefully to the floor. Harry felt his stomach disappear. He had known that she had always liked him, as he had only read her diary an hour before, but hearing her say it was so much better than reading it. She looked over at him, trails of water on her cheeks. There was a mixture of sadness and happiness in her eyes. "I just don't know what to do now, because I know there's no way you'd want me after what happened…I'll just go."

She made to get up out of her chair, but before she had the chance, Harry rushed at her, and hugged her gently. Sadey was surprised, but her tears came fully now. She broke down in his arms, as he buried his face in her shoulder. She did the same, and just cried in his arms, knowing that somehow, everything was going right for once.


	10. Together At Last

AN: Just so you all know, I did this chapter lazily, and I'm uploading it before school, so I'll go back later and fix any errors.

> > >

The two had nothing they wanted to say to each other. They didn't want to ruin the moment. Harry kept hold of her, and she stood with her head on his shoulder. She sniffed occasionally, hating herself for crying the way she did, but glad that Harry at least didn't hate her. He took her hand and led her to the bed where he lay down, and she with him. The silence that surrounded them was almost deafening. Sadey draped her arms around his shoulders, as he wrapped his around her waist. He quietly promised himself that he was never going to let her go, and that he was going to make sure that she would never cry for his account, or any other again. He hated to see her upset.

His thoughts were interrupted by a long sigh. He looked down at Sadey as she closed her eyes, and let her head drop on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, and listened to her quiet breathing.

"Do you suppose we should go downstairs?" Sadey asked, looking up at him. Harry looked down and their eyes met.

"Forget them. Hermione's been trying to hook us up from day one, so I'm sure she won't care what happens, and I know Ron's been helping her. Those are the only two people that really need to know," Harry explained, smoothing down her hair with his free hand.

"How do you know she's been trying to hook us up?" Sadey asked suspiciously. Harry felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't want to tell her that he had read her diary, but there was no other way to explain it…

"I just have that feeling," he lied quickly. Sadey stared at him strangely, but returned her head to his shoulder. Not long after there was a knock at the door. Sadey jumped out of Harry's grip, and sat nervously on the chair, as Ron let himself in, followed by Hermione. She closed the door behind her, and turned to look at them.

"Alright, you two. We need to do some serious talking, and find out what's going on," she said with authority. She pulled a chair up next to Sadey as Harry sat up, and Ron sat down next to him.

"Now…what's going on?" Ron asked, looking from Sadey to Harry, and back again.

"Oh, I'm not saying anything, until either of you tell us what's been going on…" Sadey said slyly, noting the smeared gloss on Hermione's lips, and Ron's messy hair.

"Oh…w-well…that's beside the point. We-"

"No, no, I want to know what's going on," Harry said, holding up a hand, and noticing the same things Sadey did.

"Hermione and I are dating, okay? But we want to keep it quiet…" Ron said, trailing off, as he heard footsteps outside the room. There was another knock on the door.

"Who is it?" they all yelled in unison, clearly agitated.

"It's Ginny…" she said meekly.

"Oh, we're sorry Gin. Come in," Hermione said, her tone gaining back its motherly manner. Ginny poked her head in cautiously.

"Just wanted to tell you that Mum is looking for all of you…nothing important really. Sorry if I bothered you," she said, ducking out again. Sadey looked around at them all horrified.

"She must hate me!" Sadey cried, standing from her chair. "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm probably not welcome in this house again!" she said rapidly, pacing the room. Harry got up and stopped her in her tracks.

"Listen to me, she won't hate you. I'll talk to her with you, she'll understand. And don't worry about coming back here, you'll be just as welcomed as before," he said, putting his hands on her arms as she crossed them, and looking her in the eyes. Sadey searched his eyes for a sign to believe him. When she had found it, she stepped forward into his arms. Harry wrapped her in a hug, as Hermione sighed happily, and Ron stared at the two, discretely putting his arm around her waist, and pulling her closer to him.

Sadey walked nervously around the Burrow. Harry wasn't at the house, as he and the boys were out playing Quidditch. They had asked if she, Hermione and Ginny wanted to play, but Sadey just wasn't up for it. She had been considerably depressed lately, due to the problems she was going through with George. He had arrived at the Burrow that morning, along with Fred, Bill, and Charlie. Mrs. Weasley had excitedly read Bill's latest letter aloud, announcing that he was engaged to Fleur Delacour. They had been secretly dating since Harry's fourth year of school. Hermione had said she wanted to stay with Sadey, but she persuaded her to go, knowing that Hermione would want to spend time with Ron; Ginny had left with the others, as she and Sadey didn't know each other very well.

Sadey and Harry had told Mrs. Weasley about what had happened, and to Sadey's surprise, she wasn't angry. On the contrary, she congratulated them, saying how Sadey was a lucky girl to have Harry, and that he needed someone like her in his life. At that moment, Sadey realized just how much the Weasleys considered him family. Still, Sadey didn't want to be around George, however much everyone assured her that he had accepted what had happened, and wasn't mad at her.

"Hello Sadey. How are you, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she sat down at the table. Sadey sighed.

"I've been better. Mrs. Weasley, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said cheerfully.

"What would you do if you were in my situation?" Sadey asked, staring at the table, and tracing the knots in the wood. Mrs. Weasley turned around, and smiled at her.

"My dear, you must understand that George is not angry at you. He is just as happy now, as he was before. You can't be afraid to talk to him, or be around him. That would only make things worse between you…do you smell something odd?" The oven had just begun smoking, and Mrs. Weasley cried out, as she tried to save the dessert. Sadey stared off into space, as she thought about what Mrs. Weasley had just said. She knew Mrs. Weasley was right, as she was about many things, so Sadey stood up from the kitchen, and made her way out to the Quidditch field in the orchard. When she arrived, everyone was in the middle of an intense game. At least you would have thought that before you could hear them. They were all laughing, and teasing each other about their skills. Sadey leaned against a tree and watched them for a while, before Harry noticed her, and flew down to her.

"Hey. How's everything going?" Harry asked, hopping off his broom, and walking up to her.

"Good. Everything's great actually," Sadey said, almost surprised to hear herself say that. Harry smiled at her.

"Good. I'm glad you decided to come out," he said, leaning in, and kissing her on the forehead. He put his arm around her, and watched the game. Not long after, Sadey took his hand, and led him away from the crowd to a small clearing not far away.

"Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good," Harry said, staring at her with a worried expression. She smiled up at him weakly, and nodded.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to get away from the crowd. It was stifling," she said, sitting down at the roots of a large tree. Harry sat down as well, and pulled her close to him. "I have to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Harry asked quietly. He rested his chin on her head, as she leaned against him.

"Are you sure I'm the one you want to be with?" she asked, looking up at him. Harry took his head off her shoulder, and looked down at her questioningly. "I know you probably want an explanation, and I'm prepared to give one, but I just want you to be sure."

"Of course you're the one I want to be with. I may not know you that well, but that's a good reason to start dating, so that we can get to know each other. What would make you think that?" Harry asked, brushing a lock of her hair away from her face.

"I was just wondering. Because I've made a big sacrifice for us, and I mean, we do hardly know each other," she said to him. _Plus there's the Prophecy I'm involved in,_ she thought solemnly. Harry listened to her, but knew there was something else.

"There has to be more than that," he said to her, taking her hand in his.

"Well…there is…but it's not something we should talk about here," she said, looking around quickly. Harry was worried. Sadey was acting strange and he didn't know why.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand, and leading her into the forest.

They had been walking for a while when Harry took off at a slight jog. Sadey stepped quietly beside him, as he opened a small door in a group of tree.

"Ron and I made this place a few years ago," he explained, letting her in first. He closed the door behind him, and turned to look at her. "Now, what's going on?" Sadey gave a deep sigh, but began telling him anyway.

"Alright. You know how Prophecies work, right? Well, just like you, I'm involved in one. About you, really. Of course, it was told before we were born and all, and before You-Know-Who marked you to be his downfall. It said something about how the Heirs of the three noble houses would aid the Downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, by making a great sacrifice. No one really knows what that sacrifice would be, but many have thought it to mean, their lives.

"Well, no one really knows who the heirs of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are, but the heir of Ravenclaw is known. And it's me. **I'm** one of the people who will make a great sacrifice to aid **you** in destroying You-Know-Who."

Harry was silent for a moment. Surely, things would work out…they had to.

"But…no one knows what this sacrifice is, right? I mean, it could be anything…"

"Well if you think about it, life and light are the only two things that can kill darkness and evil, and light won't do much in this situation. At least that's what my Grandmother has always told me. To make me feel better about what I must do. But I don't know what's going to happen; I mean it could be anything." Suddenly, she was looking quite worked up, and she began to collapse. Harry rushed forward, and caught her before she hit the hard ground. He gently carried her up to the house, and laid her on her bed. For the rest of the day, he sat by her side, hoping she would be alright.


	11. Her Family

AN: Sorry this chapter was so late in coming. I think I rewrote it about 7 times. But I'm finally happy with it, and I hope all my readers are too. Enjoy!

* * *

Sadey had been unconscious for about two days, and everyone was starting to get extremely worried. Of course, they were nervous about her condition when they heard about her, but the all assumed she would wake within a few hours. But that was clearly not the case.

In the meantime, Harry never left her side, leaving Hermione to sleep with Ginny. He would doze off next to her, but would wake a few hours later, swearing he had felt her move, or heard her say something. Hermione's heart went to her friend. She knew how much he cared for her, and was sure they were meant for each other. She, of course knew about the Prophecy, and Sadey had talked about telling Harry the day she fainted, but she thought it best not to bring up the situation when both Harry and Sadey were in such a fragile state.

On the third morning, Harry was asleep at Sadey's side, her hand held tightly in his, when her fingers began to stretch and tingle. Harry slowly woke up, and felt this. As he looked upon her face, her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly at him.

"Hey there," she said, rather hoarsely. Harry smiled widely at her, and rushed forward, wrapping her in a hug, and hiding his face in her hair.

"I've been so worried," he said, sitting back, and helping her to sit up. When she was comfortable, he reached up and placed a hand on her cheek. Sadey reached up and grabbed his hand tightly, as her eyes closed gently. "What happened?"

"I don't know, really. I guess I was just worked up," she whispered weakly. Harry leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"You must be thirsty. You've been out for three days. I'll get you something," Harry said, reluctantly letting go of her, and smiling at her, glad she was awake. When he closed the door behind him, Hermione was standing there, with bated breath.

"Well? Is she alright?" she demanded.

"She's fine. I'm just going to get her something from the kitchen," Harry explained happily. Hermione let out a long sigh, and pushed past him to see her. He made his way down to the kitchen, and got a small glass of water, and some toast for her. Everyone in the entire house followed him up the stairs to the small room Sadey was in. Hermione was sitting on the bed next to her, silent tears streaming down her cheeks, but she was smiling none the less.

"Oh, Hermione. Don't cry! I'm fine, and nothing will happen to me, I swear. You don't have to worry," Sadey was saying, reaching over and placing a light hand on her friend's shoulder. Hermione nodded, but happy tears kept streaming down her face.

"I'm just so happy you're okay!" Hermione cried happily, leaping over and wrapping Sadey in a hug. They both giggled slightly, but when they noticed everyone at the door, Hermione stood up smiling and let Harry sit down with her. He gave her the glass of water, and set her plate down on the table beside the bed.

"We're so glad you're alright dearie!" Mrs. Weasley said shakily. She put a hand up to her forehead, but went back downstairs to finish making lunch. Sadey took a slow sip of water as everyone watched her, easing into a state of relaxation. She looked around at everyone, and laughed croakily.

"You all are acting as if I had died. I'm fine. I just need to rest a little," she said smiling at them all. "You all go and do whatever. It's going to be very boring watching me eat toast and drink water."

They all grinned, happy to see her sense of humor in tact. They slowly made their way downstairs, but Harry stayed with her.

"Hermione told me you've been up for the three days I was out. You should probably go and eat something," Sadey said, placing a hand on his. He shook his head stubbornly.

"Mrs. Weasley's been bringing me something to eat everyday. Besides, I've been watching you lay still in that bed for three days. I want to see you move about," he said, leaning across and kissing her forehead. She smiled and closed her eyes for a moment.

A few hours after she awoke, Sadey threw the blankets back and swung her legs across the side.

"Do you think you should be getting up?" Harry asked worriedly. Sadey looked over at him with an eyebrow raised.

"It's my body, I'll bruise it however I want," she said with a laugh, testing out her legs. She stood up slowly, and almost immediately fell down. Harry caught her, but helped her to stand. She took a few steps, and slowly she began to walk down the stairs. The house was astonishingly empty.

"Everyone must be outside. Do you want to go see?" Harry asked. Sadey shook her head.

"It's nice with the house quiet. I just want to rest," she said, putting her hand against the couch. Harry nodded, and sat down on the couch. Sadey sat with him, and laid her head against his shoulder. Harry put his arm around her, and pulled her close.

"I hope you know how much you scared me the other day," Harry said lightly. Sadey giggled, and rested her hand on his chest.

"Well, for my defense, I didn't mean to." Harry looked down at her. He believed that she truly was the girl for him. He had liked Cho, and they had a fling, but he never felt this way for her. He didn't even feel as jealous watching Cho with Cedric, than he felt watching Sadey with George. He chose his next words carefully. He didn't want to seem cheesy, but he wanted her to know how much he cared for her.

"Sadey, I don't want to be scared like that again. I thought I had lost you. I thought I knew pain before, but watching you struggle like that, and not seeing your eyes open was the most painful sight I had ever seen. You may not believe me, but I really think I've fallen in love with you," Harry said softly. Sadey listened quietly, but her stomach did the biggest flips she had ever felt. She opened her mouth, but he stopped her. "Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I care for you more than anyone in this world could. And just in case you say anything about how this can't be love, remember Romeo and his Juliet. He loved her, the instant he saw her."

Sadey watched him with an expression of envious happiness. She was at a loss for words, so she leaned over and kissed him deeply. She couldn't believe that a week ago, she had assured herself that she could be happy without him. The thought was now impossible.

When the kiss broke, Sadey looked Harry in the eyes, and touched foreheads with him.

"I love you, too," she whispered. But at that moment, her parents appeared in the fireplace. Sadey jumped away from Harry instinctively, as her parents rushed towards her.

"Sadey! Are you alright? What happened?" her mother, Diane, demanded. Her father, Richard, kneeled before her, and hugged her tightly.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?" Sadey asked surprised.

"Mrs. Weasley owled us and told us what happened. Are you alright? Did **he** do anything to you?" her father asked protectively, nodding in Harry's direction.

"What? No, I'm fine! Harry hasn't done anything bad to me," Sadey said in his defense. "Where's David?"

"He's coming. Oh dear Wizards, what happened to you?" her mother exclaimed. She held Sadey's face up, and turned it from side to side. Then she opened Sadey's eyes widely.

"Mom, I'm fine. I just fainted again," she said quietly. Her mother looked at her sternly.

"Honey, this has got to stop. We have to go to Saint Mungo's, Richard. She has to be examined," Diane said to her husband, not bothering to keep her voice down. Harry looked at Sadey questioningly, but Sadey only shrugged at him. Suddenly a rush of flames erupted in the fireplace, and a boy of about 18 stepped out. He looked almost identical to Sadey. The most prominent feature they had in common was their smile. Harry was guessing that this was David, Sadey's older brother.

"Thank the Wizards, you're alright," David said, rushing forward, and hugging her tightly. Sadey grinned, and hugged him back.

"Ah, the typical, protective, older brother. Look who's made a full recovery of his own!" Sadey said excitedly, holding him at arms length as he kneeled in front of her. He smirked at her, and nodded. "Now you all are acting as if I've died, and by some miracle came back to life! I'm fine, really. Everyone here has taken excellent care of me."

"Well that's good to know," Mr. Hutch said, hugging her tightly to him. "You're my little girl. I don't know what I would do if I lost you," he added, stroking her hair.

"Dad!" she groaned, trying to get out of his grasp. When she finally managed it, Harry cleared his throat quietly. Sadey looked over at him, and gave him an innocent smile.

"Sorry. Everyone, I want you to meet Harry Potter," she said grabbing his arm and pulling him closer.

"H-Hello. It's nice to meet you all," Harry said nervously, under the watchful gaze of Sadey's father and brother.


	12. Dealing

Sadey and Harry sat on the bench in the garden. They were both silent, and held each other's hand as the faint sound of conversation drifted from the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry about this. That was probably the worst possible time to meet **my** parents," Sadey said, turning to him.

"No, no…it's fine," Harry reassured her. He smiled at her. She smiled back, and kissed him gently. "We should probably go back inside," he added.

Sadey nodded, and stood up. She gripped his hand tightly as she walked into the kitchen. Her mother and father were having tea with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and their six children, as well as Hermione and David, were all sitting around the empty hearth. Hermione stood up and hugged her friend as they entered the room and whispered, "Everything will turn out alright." Sadey gave her a smile, as she sat down between her brother, and Harry. David put his arm around his sister, and stared intently at Harry.

"Sadey? Can we have a word?" Her father called, beckoning her outside. She nodded and followed them out. Hermione stared after her, but looked back at Harry with a slight smile.

Her parents led her to the bench by the hedge, and sat down with her in between them.

"Sadey, what do you think you're doing with this Harry Potter?" her mother asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Sadey asked disbelievingly. _What are they getting at…_ she thought to herself.

"I mean, he's psychotic! You heard what he was claiming last year! And that Diggory boy…one can choose to believe that he was telling the truth, but there's no evidence," her father said spitefully.

"Dad! You have got to be kidding me! Harry's not a maniac…he's one of the most amazing people I have ever met!" Sadey said defensively. She stood up quickly, and stepped out of her parents reach.

"But he was claiming that You-Know-Who was back. It's not possible…" her mother said, trailing off.

"Mum, if you've read the papers, you'd know that You-Know-Who **is** back! He's been making the front page of The Daily Prophet all summer," Sadey said, turning around and crossing her arms.

"We just don't think it's good for you to be around a boy like that," her mother said in a small voice.

"Oh, what do you know? You've always been trying to protect me. I've had the best time in my life, here, with the Weasleys, **and** Hermione, **and** Harry!" Sadey said, turning around to face them. "I've barely been out of the house on holidays. I get the most freedom at school!"

"Sadey, you **know** why we do this. It's because you're our little girl and however we try to forget it, you have a destiny, and we don't know how much longer we're going to have you with us," her father said, trying to be reasonable.

"Oh, so you're going to take my life away, before it literally is?" Sadey asked angrily.

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me, young lady!" her father said warningly, standing up to look down on her.

"Oh, so now you're going to use the intimidation technique on me? Dad, just let me live **my** life the way I want to. I'm with Harry. If you have something against that…I-I dunno…disown me or something!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, before stomping to her room.

Back in the living room, everyone was silent. They had heard voices grow progressively louder, until suddenly they heard Sadey shout her last words to her parents. She stormed into the house, and slammed the door behind her as she walked quickly toward the stairs.

"Whoa, whoa, Sadey, what's wrong?" David asked, running over to her and stopping her.

"Don't…touch me," she said threateningly. When she looked up, David could see the fire in her eyes, and let her go to her room.

"What did you guys say to her?" David asked his parents. Everyone was piled on the staircase outside of Sadey's room, and they were trying to get a word out of her, but she had locked the door.

"We had a private talk with her. It's none of your concern what was said," Mr. Hutch said disapprovingly to David. He banged on the door, and yelled to Sadey, telling her to open it, but to no avail.

"Well none-the-less you upset her. And you know how she gets when she's upset. You should just leave, she's not going to want to talk to you two," David said, knocking gently on the door. Mr. Hutch gave his son a stern look, but decided that he was right, and made his way down the hallway. Mrs. Hutch held his arm, and stared at him helplessly, but they walked down the steps together. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed them, leaving all their children, Harry, Hermione, and David outside the room.

"Sadey? Mum and Dad are gone. You can open the door now," David said gently, standing up against the door, partly so he could hear any noise she made, and because the hallway was so crowded. Without warning, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. David almost fell into the room, and looked up at his sister who was sitting in tears on her bed. Hermione pushed her way through, and joined her friend, giving her a supportive hug. David, Harry and Ron also entered the room, but the others, seeing that Sadey was alright, made their way down the stairs.

Sadey looked over at her brother, who was closing the door to her room, and she stumbled over to him, and practically collapsed on him. He held her protectively, and whispered something into her ear. They walked over to the bed and sat down with Hermione and Harry.

"I don't know what to do. My parents hate the only person I love. It's so unfair," she said, wiping tears from her cheeks, and twisting her hands in her lap.

"Listen to me Sadey Rowena Hutch. If you love this boy, that's all you need to know. You keep loving him until the day you die. Don't let the opinions of Richard and Diane Hutch stop you from pursuing your heart's love," David said, holding her face up to him, and looking into her eyes importantly. Sadey smiled slightly. She leaned forward and hugged her brother, as he hugged her back. When they parted, Hermione turned to her, to give her support, and David brought Harry aside for a moment.

"Harry, I just want to know if your feelings for my sister are genuine. I want to make sure she'll be in good hands, because you need to protect her," David said seriously. "Can you look me in the eyes and promise me that you'll protect her, no matter what the cost may be?"

"I promise you, nothing will happen to her," Harry said confidently, looking him straight in the eyes. David grinned at him.

"Good. I just have to look out for my baby sister, you know?" With that, he turned and walked out the door.


	13. Love

Sadey cut herself off from her parents for a while, during their stay. She was furious with them, but they truly couldn't understand why. They only wanted to protect her, after all. But Sadey didn't want to hear what they had to say. She was more worried about David, as no one had seen him after he talked to Harry. She knew that he was attacked purposely, and she was afraid it might happen again.

Hermione, Ron and Harry all agreed that she had too much on her mind, so they decided to take a day trip to the lake. It was far enough away from the house, where they could have some privacy and no one would find them, but they were still on the Weasleys property. The night before they were leaving, Hermione and Sadey got lunches together, while Harry and Ron pulled their brooms out of the shed, and got towels and things together.

"Oh, it's going to be so good to get away from my parents for a day," Sadey said, collapsing in one of the chairs. She traced the knots in the wood as she usually did, and was always surprised to find that new knots appeared, and old ones disappeared.

"It'll be good for you. Plus, you and Harry can talk, or whatever you do when you're alone," Hermione said with a smirk. Sadey grinned at her.

"And you and Ron can sneak off for some 'alone time'," Sadey said mischievously.

"Shh, not so loud! Not everyone knows," Hermione hissed playfully. Sadey sighed, and shook her head in disapproval.

"Why don't you just tell everyone? It's been…what… 2 months already?" Sadey asked. Hermione handed her a cup of tea, and sat down across from her.

"Hm, I still don't know. What would everyone think?"

"They would think 'Finally!'" Sadey teased. Hermione grinned, and took a sip from her mug. Suddenly, both boys burst through the door.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, as they both sat down at the table.

"Yeah. Butit's bloody hot out there," Ron said, nudging his seat closer to Hermione. Under the table, they linked fingers.

"Everything ready?" Sadey asked, as Harry wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Yup. Now all we have to worry about is rain," Harry said, knocking gently on the table, superstitiously. At that moment, her parents walked into the kitchen. Sadey fell silent, the smile gone from her face. She nimbly took a sip of tea, as her father turned to her, attempting to make conversation. Harry glared at them with this head lowered, and Sadey closed her eyes regally as she lowered her mug. Her mother touched her husband's arm, and led him out of the kitchen. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

"Come on. We can go and talk upstairs," Ron said, gently letting go of Hermione, and leading the way up the creaky stairwell. He entered Sadey's room, as they had the best chance of privacy there, and closed the door behind everyone. Harry sat down with Sadey in his lap, and Hermione sat on the floor. Ron lowered himself next to her, and put his arm casually around her shoulders.

"So…everything's ready to go for tomorrow. Now all we have to do is wait for it to come," Ron said, trying to make a conversation. No one was willing to add a comment. Ron looked around at the other people in the room. Harry and Sadey had their foreheads close, and were talking in hushed tones, and Hermione was staring off into space, not paying attention to what was going on.

"Did I miss something? You're all a little off tonight," Ron said loudly, to get everyone's attention. They all turned to look at him, and then hid their eyes.

"These are just hard times, Ron. There are some things you don't understand," Hermione said, turning to him, and kissing him gently. She hugged him tightly, and leaned against him, as he wrapped his arm around her. "I'll explain it to you later," she added in a whisper only he could hear. He nodded, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"So, how have things been going between you two?" Sadey asked, looking over at the couple. Hermione blushed, and Ron smiled widely.

"Never better," he said gently.

"I can't get over how cute you are together…when in private of course," Sadey said, leaning against Harry. Hermione smiled, and looked down at her hand in Ron's. Then she looked up at him, and he leaned down and kissed her gently.

"It's the same with you two…but you obviously don't need to be private about it!" Hermione said with a grin, still staring lovingly at Ron. She couldn't get over how incredibly blind she had been towards him, all these years. He had always been there for her, but she never noticed because of his demeaning nature. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. Ron tightened his grip on her, convinced he would never let her go. Sadey stared at them for a moment, content in the arms of her boyfriend. She looked back at him slightly as he began to softly run his fingers over her back. She took his hands, and lay back on the bed, facing him on her side. They stared at each other for a moment, and didn't hear the door close behind Ron and Hermione. Harry looked directly into her eyes, and whispered, "I love you, Sadey Hutch. I always will." She closed her eyes slowly and smiled. Harry reached over and caressed her cheek.

When Sadey opened her eyes again, she looked back into Harry's eyes and whispered, "I love **you,** Harry Potter. And I always have." She leaned in and kissed him softly.


	14. Painful Truths

Sadey ended up falling asleep, while lying next to Harry. He thought she looked like an angel, as her curly hair had fallen around her gracefully, and her eyes were gently closed. Her wispy bangs had been lazily brushed across her forehead. Every aspect of this girl sent Harry's head spinning. For once in all the time he had seen her, she looked truly serene. Even while she slept after fainting, she looked tense, and uneasy. He was happy that at least while she dreamt, nothing would trouble her. Harry reached up gingerly, and caressed her cheek, smiling slightly. She stirred faintly at his touch, and smiled involuntarily. As she turned on her stomach, Harry summoned a blanket, and draped it over the two of them. "Sweet dreams," he muttered, before tenderly kissing her forehead and settling back. "I love you, Sadey," he whispered before falling into sleep himself.

The next morning, Sadey woke up with a ray of sunshine peeking through her curtains, and over her face. She smiled at the warmth, and looked over to see Harry sleeping next to her. His hair was even more untidy than usual. She reached up and gently rustled his hair off his forehead. Her fingers brushed his skin momentarily, and he stirred awake. He grinned when he saw her smiling face, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Good morning," she said, as he pulled her closer. She moved the blanket down around their hips.

"Morning," he grumbled, closing his eyes, and nodding his head forward so their noses touched.

"We should probably get ready to go," Sadey said, turning to get out of bed. But Harry grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back to him.

"They can wait," he said, kissing her gently. Sadey reached up as they kissed softly, and pulled closer to him. But she soon pulled away from him.

"Okay, **now** we have to get ready to go," she stated, jumping out of bed before he could pull her back again. He groaned at her from beneath the blankets, as she grabbed her bathing suit, and a pair of shorts. "You better be dressed by the time I get back!" she called from the hallway. He smiled at her from her bed, and rolled off. As a door closed down the hall, Harry slumpedup the stairs to Ron's room to grab his bathing suit and a t-shirt. Hermione was lying with her back up to Ron, and he had his arms around her. Harry smiled at the two, grabbed his clothes, and snuck out of the room, closing the door behind him. When he returned to Sadey's room, she was back, and was gathering anything she needed. Harry stood in the doorway as she ran her fingers through her hair, and put a towel and sunscreen in a small beach bag. Her small radio was on, and she was singing along to a new song by the Weird Sisters. As she slipped on her sandals, Harry came up behind her, and wrapped her in his arms. She smiled with surprise, and closed her eyes.

"I thought I told you to get ready," she alleged with false authority.

"Well I couldn't. I was too captivated by your singing," he defended, kissing her cheek.

"Oh, you heard my singing. Were you cringing in pain?" she asked, laughing.

"No, I was floating on a cloud. You have a beautiful voice," he declared. "Beautiful, talented, kind, sweet…what else could I ask for?" Sadey laughed at him, but pushed him out the door.

"Maybe one who is not so bossy. Now get ready!" she demanded, giving him a little push down the hall. After he disappeared behind a door with a playful frown on his lips, Sadey made her way upstairs to Ron's room, to wake the other two.

> > >

About an hour later, they were on the long walk to the lake. Hermione was carrying a picnic basket, and was being careful not to walk too close to Ron until the Burrow was out of sight. Harry had his broom over his shoulder, and his arm protectively around Sadey's waist. After a few moments of walking in silence, Harry stopped, and swung his leg over his broom. He pulled Sadey close, and picked her up to sit her on the broom handle.

"Hang on," he said, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned toward the back of the broomstick. Harry kicked away from the road, and flew toward the forest. Harry kept the broom slow, and close to the ground as Sadey held onto him tightly, and leaned against him to keep the weight balanced in the center of the broomstick. She looked behind them to see if Ron and Hermione were following them. Sure enough, Ron had pulled Hermione onto the broom in front of him. But she was being much less calm about the situation than Sadey.

"Ron, put me back on the bloody ground!" she was screaming at his laughing face. Just as she was about to open her mouth to scream at him again, he caught her lips in a kiss. Hermione kissed him tensely and as soon as he pulled away from her, she began yelling again. Harry had looked back at them, as Sadey watched them over his shoulder, and they were both laughing at the couple.

There was a loud rush of wind as Harry picked up the speed and turned away from the road, down the trail to the lake. He heard Sadey's quick intake of breath, and felt her tighten her grip on him. She was used to flying, but not with a second person. Every twist and turn made her edgy. To calm her slightly, Harry closed his arm around her, and held her close. It meant he would have to work harder to keep the broom straight, but that didn't matter. She instinctively placed her arm over his, and looked up at him with a cracked smile. It told him that she was worried, but happy. Soon they came to a stop, and Sadey joyfully hopped off the broom and set her things down on their usual rock. Not long after, Ron appeared with a very perturbed Hermione. She happily stepped on the ground, and waddled over to Sadey.

"I'm never getting on a broomstick again," Hermione said flipping back her hair and sitting down heavily, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, lighten up Hermione. I'm sure it wasn't **too **horrible," Harry said, giving her a pat on the back. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, and turned to face Ron, who was behind her. He placed his hands on her waist, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Sorry I scared you," he mumbled with a grin, as Sadey slipped off her jeans and flip-flops. She was just about to jump into the lake when Harry grabbed her by the wrist, and kissed her. She pulled closer to him, but just as he began to pull away, he picked her up, and jumped into the water. Sadey screamed with delight, and quickly swam away from him before he could kiss her again. A loud splash signified that Ron and Hermione were in the lake as well. Sadey looked around and was surprised that Harry was nowhere in sight. But suddenly she got pulled under. Harry kissed her under water, and she smiled against his lips. Her hair floated against him and formed a sheet around their faces. He reached up and brushed his fingers against her cheek.

When they broke the surface Sadey coughed slightly and said, "Ew. Lake water!" But just as she was swimming away, laughing, Hermione lunged at Harry and dunked him under water. This began a long and tiring water fight; girls against boys. Just as one team would strike, the other team would retaliate, equally strong. It seemed to last for hours. It finally ended when Hermione sent a small wave in Harry and Ron's direction with a wave of her wand. Sadey lazily pulled herself out of the lake and onto the rock. She dried herself with her wand, and slipped on her shorts and sandals. As she began walking out of the clearing, she motioned for Harry to join her. He jogged to catch up to her as she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.

"Something the matter?" he asked, as she walked down the trail towards the road.

"Nope," she answered cheerfully. "Just wanted to get away," she added, at his questioning look. Harry nodded at her, and put his arm around her shoulders. They walked out to the road, and instead of heading towards the Burrow, they walked in the opposite direction. Not far down the road, there was a broken board in the fence. Sadey looked mischievously at Harry, and climbed over the broken fence. Harry ran after her, into the orchard. The apple blossoms smelled sweet in the summer air, as they walked in a staggered pattern down the aisles of trees. The two of them found a small clearing in the center of the orchard, where the grass had grown tall, and had been dried by the sunlight. Sadey picked a blossom from a nearby tree, and fixed it in her hair, before walking to the other end of the clearing. She sat beneath a large tree as Harry joined her, and sat beside her.

"I have a question for you. And I don't want you to get mad, or anything. It's just something I've been wondering," Sadey said, as she took his hand in hers. Harry nodded at her. She stared out at the grass and asked tentatively, "Do you truly love me?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Harry asked, laughing slightly, but stopped when he saw the serious expression on her face.

"We've only known each other a short amount of time. And in case you don't remember, we weren't really that polite to each other. And then there was that whole fiasco with George and myself, and then you saw us, and-" Sadey stopped her rambling when Harry's lips met hers. He held her in the kiss for a moment, reveling in her persistence.

"Will you let me talk now?" he asked her with a grin. She blushed, but nodded. "I'm sure I love you. I know you may say that we've only known each other for a few weeks, but that's enough in my book. I've been happier with you, than I have in my entire life!"

"That's not saying much," she added with a wry smile. Harry smirked down at her. "But I know what you mean."

"I don't know what I would do without you." At this, Sadey shifted nervously. _Sooner or later, you may have to find out,_ she thought guiltily.

"I just want to be sure. Giving your heart to another person is not an easy thing. Plus there's the prophecy…I know you don't like thinking about it, and nor do I, but we have to face reality. Sooner or later, I may loose my life for yours-"

"I won't let that happen," Harry said firmly. "I can't loose you. You're all I have." Sadey looked up at him as her eyes glossed over. She saw the pleading in his eyes, the need he had for her. She knew that she was the only bit of happiness he had left.

"I'm so sorry," she said, turning and hugging him tightly. Harry pulled her into his lap, and cradled her slightly. She gently cried on his shoulder, as he buried his head in her shoulder, taking in the smell of her hair. "I'm sorry I pulled you into this mess. It was probably best that you didn't meet me at all. It would have been easier to let everything happen the way it was supposed to. My grandmother was always worried that I would become attached to you. I'm sorry," she whispered the last part with silent tears. Harry felt water sting his eyes slightly.

"I'm not sorry," he said, bringer her away from him so he could look into her eyes. He held her by her arms, but gently as he looked almost fiercely into her face. "I'm not sorry for one second of this. I know I may sound cheesy, but I love you, and I seriously wouldn't survive without you in my life. I lost my parents' to Voldemort's wand, and my Godfather to his followers. My entire family was killed by the Dark Side. I refuse to loose anyone else I care about. Most especially you. You're staying in my life whether you like it or not!" Harry said with a growing intensity, but smiled at his last sentence. Sadey smirked at him, and leaned against his chest.

"You're not cheesy," she simply stated. Harry laughed easily.

> > >

The smell of death was in the air. Voldemort had ordered his followers to seek out, and kill anyone who would lead the Ministry to him. Now that the wizarding world was beginning to acknowledge his rise to power, he thought it unnecessary to lie low, and keep his profile hidden. His most faithful servants, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, were now scourging the remains of the Black household, which had been the supposed hideout for the Order of the Phoenix the following year. Wormtail had taken to joining the other Death Eaters on killing rampages, and was now accompanying Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle to London, to search any magical location.

Voldemort was sitting quietly in his private room in the Malfoy Manor, his giant snake Nagini circling his throne-like chair in a menacing way. Suddenly there was a light knock at the door.

"Enter," his cold, hard voice echoed. A sliver of light appeared at his feet as the door was opened quickly, and closed. Lucius Malfoy took off his Death Eater mask hastily, and bowed to his knees. He kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes before standing again. "What news have you, Lucius? It had better be of some importance, as you are supposed to be out with Crabbe, Goyle and Wormtail."

"Yes my lord. It is interesting news indeed. There are…rumors…that Potter has found himself a new object of affection. A very important object…" Lucius trailed off. Voldemort turned to look at his prized Death Eater curiously. "We have found evidence that Potter is not the only person involved in a Prophecy. It seems that there is another, somewhat cloudy prophecy, that the three heirs of Hogwarts are to assist him in your _demise_," he said the world nastily. "We are in the dark as to the heirs of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but we do know the heir to Ravenclaw. A girl by the name of Sadey Hutch. She and Potter have been spending a curious amount of time together." Voldemort laughed coldly.

"Go. You know who to send." Lucius bowed, muttering, "Yes, my lord." He left the room swiftly. Voldemort laughed, quietly but menacingly, as he waited for another of his servants. Not long after, a Death Eater entered the room, bowed, and kissed Voldemort's robes.

"It would seem, young Death Eater, that a Miss. Sadey Hutch is of some importance in the desecration of my plans. Dispose of her," Voldemort said coldly, staring into the fire. David Hutch removed the Death Eater mask, and smirked obligingly.

"Yes, my lord."


	15. Summer's End

September first rolled around quicker than usual. The remainder of the summer was a blur for Sadey and Harry, as they were too preoccupied with themselves to notice anyone else.

On the night of August 31st, Sadey and Hermione were closed in their room, packing their robes and books, and any oddities they needed for school. Hermione grabbed the pile of clean robes off her bed and pushed aside a few rolls of parchment to make room for them. Sadey was busy fitting all her class books inside her trunk.

"With all those books, one might think you were taking as many classes as me!" Hermione teased. Sadey glanced sideways at her with a smirk.

"I might as well be. No, my parents are making me take extra classes in Defense Against the Dark Arts. They visited a psychic not too long ago, who told them they would loose someone dear to them. You know how they are; they're **convinced** it's going to be me, fulfilling the prophecy this year!" Sadey said dramatically, dropping the books on top of the pile of clothes. "But I smuggled in a few extra lessons in my favorites subjects," she added with a wink.

"Ah ha," Hermione said, not accusingly, with a laugh, closing her trunk with a snap. "I think I actually have everything for once-" She was cut off by the sound of an excited shriek downstairs. Sadey looked around at Hermione with wide, questioning eyes. Hermione shrugged at her, and crossed the room to the door. When she opened it, Ron almost crashed into her.

"Fred's told Mum…" he panted. Hermione gasped with a disbelieving smile. "He thought…we were being silly about it…and needed to tell her," Ron said sarcastically.

"Well…I'm glad she knows, I won't lie to you…" Ron stared at her for a moment before laughing. "Of course, she could have learned under better circumstances…for example, **you** could have told her!"

"What d'you reckon?" Ron asked, still laughing.

"You should go downstairs!" said Sadey, standing Ron up, and pushing them out the door. Ron looked at her, almost terrified, but Hermione smiled thankfully. Sadey gave them a reassuring smile as they descended the stairs, and went back to her packing. She searched the room over three times before she was confident she wasn't forgetting anything. In the process she found Harry's glasses, Hermione's bathing suit, and her own wand, which puzzled her, as she was sure it was on her bed. When she closed her trunk with a snap, she made her way downstairs, where it looked as though a party had been started. Mrs. Weasley was hugging both Ron and Hermione numerous times, as they stood close to each other. Dinner was laid on the table, inviting anyone who wished to fill their plate. Mr. Weasley had shot confetti from his wand. Sadey was sure Hermione thought they were making a big deal out of a little thing, by the smile on her face. She joined Harry at the side of the festivities, and put her arm around his waist. He smiled at her, and wrapped her shoulders in his arm. She silently pulled his glasses out of her pocket and settled them on his nose.

"Prefects **and **in love!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Oh, this is simply **wonderful**!" Hermione smiled, and stood closer to Ron, linking their hands. Sadey watched them brightly, and thoroughly enjoyed her last night at the Burrow.

The next morning, Sadey woke early. Harry had fallen asleep in her bed again, so she quietly slipped out of bed, and pulled a sweater on over her pajamas. The weather had taken a complete turn with the change of months. Sadey walked downstairs, her bare feet cold on the wooden floors, and entered the empty kitchen. _What time is it?_ she wondered to herself. _Mrs. Weasley isn't even awake yet…_ Suddenly an eerie feeling crept into her stomach. Something was very wrong about the situation. Sadey gripped her wand, which she had taken to keeping with her at all times. She quietly slipped out the back door, and into the garden. It was an overcast day, and mist filled the yard. She cautiously tiptoed through the seemingly empty garden, jumping at every little noise. A groggy owl hooted in the distance, and there were gnome mutterings in the bushes. Suddenly there was a loud crash, and Sadey turned, saying the first incantation in her head.

"Nicework…you jinxed a r-rubbish bin," Fred said with a hint of amusement, slurring his words. Sadey turned around, gasping loudly.

"What on earth are you doing out here so early?" she asked, putting a hand to her chest. Sadey lowered her wand, but kept a firm grip. It was odd to see Fred without George.

"What it matter? You're out…hic-" Fred said, trailing off, swinging oddly as he took a few steps toward the house. Sadey stepped up and stopped him, smelling his breath.

"You've been drinking!" she accused, repulsed.

"S'what if I 'ave?" Fred asked, looking down on her.

"Fred, why would you drink? And where's George?" Sadey asked, looking around suddenly, for the missing twin. Fred looked over at her.

"So-o-o **now** you care abou' ole Georgy!" Fred said, raising his voice slightly, and hiccupping ever so often. "He's at the shop…wanted to t-t-tinker 'ith a few jokes…" Sadey had trouble understand him, as he slurred his words together, and didn't finish a few others. But getting the general meaning, she opened the front door, and pushed Fred inside.

"You are going to have one hell of a hangover…" Sadey muttered to Fred, getting a glass from the cupboard. She went over to the sink and filled it with water from the tap, and turned to Fred. Just as he was reaching out to take it from her, she splashed the water onto his face, and slammed the cup on the table, cracking it slightly. "Fred, why were you drinking?" she asked, clearly outraged by this time. She didn't quite understand why, but the thought that someone she considered herself close to, was drinking made her angrier than a mother dragon.

"Wha's it matter?" Fred asked sullenly. Sadey groaned at him, and repaired the cup. "Ya'know…Georgy still loves ya…never qui'e stopped, really…" Sadey stopped cleaning the glass, as the water flowed over her outstretched hand.

After a moment, she came back to her senses and put the glass away. "How do you figure that?" she asked, her voice much calmer, but with a hint of malice.

"You should hear 'im durin' the nigh'…always says your name in his dreams…" Fred said, staring off unblinkingly. Sadey looked over at him.

"What were you drinking?" she asked clearly, ignoring his last words.

"Firewhiskey, wha' else?" Fred said excitedly. Sadey rolled her eyes, and grabbed a clean cloth from the closet. She let cold water run over it, and handed the drenched cloth to Fred, to put over his eyes.

"Well you better get up to your room. You know your mother will have a row at you if she hears you were drinking Firewhiskey until 5 AM," Sadey said, pulling him off his seat, and pushing him up the stairs.

"It wasn' till 5 AM. It was till 2 AM," Fred said indignantly. Sadey smirked at him, but sent him up all the same. She returned to the kitchen, and continued to make herself something light to eat. She never ate much on days when she was to return to Hogwarts.

About an hour later, Sadey was sitting in the kitchen, sipping a cup of hot tea, as Mrs. Weasley bustled into the kitchen.

"Oh! Sadey, dear, you startled me. I didn't expect anyone up for another half hour," Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully. Sadey smiled at her over her cup. Her wand lay within arms distance of her. The times were getting slowly darker as days rolled on. There were more and more reports in the _Daily Prophet_ about witches and wizards who had disappeared, or were found dead in their homes. Once or twice the group of them found a name they recognized. It made them even more ashamed of their failed attempts to stop Lord Voldemort.

Later that morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all came down.

"There you are…I thought you disappeared," Harry said, sitting down next to Sadey. She smiled at him over her third cup of tea. Mrs. Weasley was pushing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of everyone. Sadey politely refused her own plate, and finished her tea. Harry looked at her worriedly. She smiled at him, and placed her cup in the sink.

"I'm going to get ready. Make sure you're up in a half an hour. It's already 9:30," she said with a smirk, and kissing Harry on the cheek.

"What would I do without you?" he asked teasingly.

"Maybe steal another flying car, and make another 'elaborate' entrance at Hogwarts," she teased back, wrapping her arms around herself, and making her way up the stairs with a playful smile. Hermione and Ginny were laughing at him, and Ron was trying not to notice Mrs. Weasley looking disapprovingly at him and Harry.


	16. Notes and Voices

Sadey returned down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a large sweater. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail as she entered the kitchen. When she crossed the threshold, her foot froze on the floor. The pots and pans had been thrown askew, and the windows had been broken. The wooden table had been splintered, and on the wall was a small piece of parchment with an unfamiliar seal on it. Knowing full well that the letter, however innocent it looked, could be dangerous, Sadey made her way over to the note. Her name had been written across it sloppily in red ink.

_Or is that blood…_she thought to herself, with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. She reached up and pulled the note off the wall. A small tack fell to floor with a deafening clang. Sadey's heart beat quickly as she opened the note. Just as she was about to read it, there was a gasp at the entrance to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Ginny shrieked. Sadey whipped around, to watch the entire family, Harry and Hermione crowd around the door.

"Sadey…" Harry breathed. Sadey's heart stopped cold. She knew the situation must look pretty convincing. There she was, standing in the middle of a destroyed kitchen, with her wand in her pocket, and a suspicious note in her hands.

"No! I swear…I don't know what happened! I just came down and-…and everything was like this!" she insisted. "Here, would I write this to myself?" she asked, not even knowing what the note contained. She thrust it into Mr. Weasley's hand, and stood back so he could read it. His eyes widened slightly, but when he finished, he took the note and burned it with his wand.

"Come on, we have to leave. Now," he said urgently. Sadey began to protest, but knew it was no use. _But I don't even know what it said,_ her conscience noted. She went against her instincts anyway, and dashed up the stairs to grab her trunk. She threw her remaining belongings inside, and dragged the heavy trunk down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley was repairing the windows and returning to pots and pans to their correct places, as Mr. Weasley repaired the table.

"Good, Sadey," Mr. Weasley said apprehensively. "We need to get everyone to the station safely. I've just called the Ministry to see if we could get a few cars. They were able to spare a few. It seems the Minister has come to his senses about everything and forgiven me," he said, more to himself than to her. "Anyway, besides the point. The cars will be here in a few moments. If you could, can you watch out the front door for the cars, and just give me a shout if you see them?" Sadey was taken aback by the urgency in his voice, but nodded. "Good girl. I'll be off helping everyone else gather their things."

Sadey took her place by the front door. As she was waiting, Harry joined her with his own trunk, and his owl Hedwig in her cage. He came up and hugged her around the waist, and laid his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back against him, but watched out the curtains to the yard below.

Not long after the cars arrived in the yard.

"Mr. Weasley, the cars are here!" Sadey called, grabbing her trunk. Mr. Weasley plundered down the stairs, and opened the front door, taking out his wand instinctively. He ushered everyone out, and had a quick word with the drivers. Sadey, Harry, Hermione and Ron were all to share a car. Ginny was to Ride with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Not five minutes before they were to leave, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, and Remus Lupin apparated in the yard. "Good, you've all made it. I needed someone to accompany us to Kings Cross Station," Mr. Weasley explained to the small group. Everyone nodded.

"Remus, you and Tonks ride with Potter. I'll ride with Weasley," Mad-Eye Moody growled. They both nodded, and slid into the front seat of the car. The other four climbed into the back seat, and the car pulled onto the road ahead. Harry took Sadey's hand, as she slid closer, and laid her head on his shoulder. Remus glanced back at the four of them, and his eyes softened at the sight of Harry and Sadey.

The ride was short enough to the station, but it was the only peaceful portion of their journey. When they arrived, Mr. Weasley and Mad-Eye Moody went to retrieve trolleys and wouldn't allow anyone to exit the cars until the had returned safely. Sadey got out of the car and helped Mr. Weasley haul her trunk onto a trolley, and before she could talk to anyone else, he wheeled her things away, and grabbed her by the arm. He led the way into the station and walked straight to Platform 9¾. Sadey looked behind her, and could distinctly see Harry entering the station. But before he could see her, she disappeared through the barrier.

"Mr. Weasley, what's the rush? I don't even know what that note said!" Sadey exclaimed. He gave her a sideways glance but nothing more. He simply led her to the train, and helped her load her trunk.

"Go and find a compartment. Make sure it's empty. Stow your things, and come back here. I'll explain everything," he instructed. Sadey nodded, and walked down the train. It seemed as if every compartment was full, but Sadey finally found an empty one. She stowed her trunk in the overhead compartment, and closed the door so no one would take it. Then she returned to find Mr. Weasley on the platform. The others had arrived, and Mrs. Weasley was kissing everyone's foreheads.

"Oh, there you are Sadey! Everything alright?" she asked kindly. Sadey nodded, and turned to Mr. Weasley as everyone boarded the train. But just as Mr. Weasley was about to lead her to a small corner, the train whistle sounded. "Arthur, what **are **you doing? The trains leaving!"

"An explanation will have to wait," Mr. Weasley said anxiously. "Right now, you need to get on that train, and get to Hogwarts." The train had already started to roll away. Sadey broke into a run, and headed toward the open door where Harry was leaning out.

"Grab my hand!" he yelled to her over the noise of the train. Mr. Weasley was pushing her along, and a few feet before the platform ended, Harry grabbed her and pulled her on the train. They tumbled into the corridor, just as Mrs. Weasley rushed out of sight. "Ran that a little close didn't you?" Harry asked with a laugh. Sadey smiled, and stood up, grabbing his hand.

"Well, we'll see you all later," Hermione said, as she and Ron headed towards the Prefects' section of the train. They both waved at the remaining three, and dragged their trunks behind them.

"Well, should we get a compartment?" Harry asked, looking at the two girls.

"I've already got one," Sadey said, gesturing behind her.

"And I'm meeting up with Dean," Ginny said with a grin, as she headed in the same direction of Ron and Hermione.

"Well, shall we?" Harry asked, grabbing his trunk. Sadey smiled, and led the way to the compartment she was saved. She was happy to see that it was still empty, except for her things. Harry stowed his trunk with hers, and sat down on a cushiony seat. Sadey sat down next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered in her ear.

"How strange this year is going to be. My brother's gone, and although I have you, you're not in Ravenclaw, and I'll be all alone," she said with a smirk.

"Well you don't have to worry. As long as you don't memorize our passwords, you can stay with us in the Gryffindor Common Room. No one would care," Harry said, grinning down at her. Sadey giggled and nodded, but soon her smile faded. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"I just wish I knew what was on that note," Sadey said, standing up, and pacing slightly.

"You mean you didn't know?" Harry asked, looking at her oddly. She nodded. "Well then how did you know it would confirm you didn't destroy the kitchen?"

"I didn't. That's the thing. I just found it, assumed it would be bad, and before I read it, gave it to Mr. Weasley as proof that I didn't do anything. For all I know, it could have been a shopping list or something," Sadey said, raising her arms in defeat. She sat across from Harry, and hid her head in her knees.

"Well, the important thing is, is that the note wasn't a shopping list," Harry said, and distinctly heard her giggle slightly. He wished he could hear her real laugh though. "Whatever it was, it certainly convinced Mr. Weasley that you weren't the criminal," he added, taking her hands, and lifting her chin with his finger. "He didn't really believe you had done anything anyway."

Sadey smiled sheepishly at him, and kissed him gently. She suddenly realized how long it had actually been since she had kissed him.

"Well isn't this a touching sight?" came a drawling voice. Sadey broke from Harry's lips, and sighed, letting her head drop slightly. "Who do we have here?"

Harry looked up and glared at Draco Malfoy, who was standing in the doorway of the compartment, followed faithfully by his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"And who's this pretty little thing?" Draco asked, entering the compartment, and putting a finger under Sadey's chin. She jerked away from his touch, and stood calmly.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Sadey asked with malice. She had her hands on her hips. Harry stood quickly, and moved so he was between the two.

"Just making sure you two weren't doing anything **_against the rules_**," Draco teased, while exiting the compartment. "And we missed you at the manor this summer!" he called as he moved down the corridor. Sadey stared after him, and sat down, huffing slightly.

"Ooh, I hate him!" she said, sitting back against the seat.

"Well don't let him get to you. Just relax, we'll be at school soon," Harry said soothingly, sitting next to her. She laid her head against his shoulder again with her arms crossed, as he put his arm around her, and stroked her hair.


	17. Happiness Has An End

Sadey sat in a huff after the run-in with Malfoy. Harry simply kept his arm around her and let the storm in her eyes pass. About the time the snack trolley rolled around, Neville and Luna appeared in the doorway.

"Hiya Harry!" Neville said cheerfully. Luna smiled at him.

"Hey Neville. Hi Luna. How are you?" Harry asked, holding Sadey closer.

"Hi Sadey," Luna said in her dreamy tone.

"Hey Luna," Sadey said with a forced smile. She looked up slightly at her fellow Ravenclaw, and looked back at Harry, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Who's that?" Neville asked loudly. Luna nudged him in the ribs, and rolled her eyes.

"It's okay. Hi, my names Sadey Hutch. I'm in Ravenclaw," she said, holding out her hand with a smile.

"Hi. I'm Neville Longbottom, and a Gryffindor," Neville said with pride. He shook her hand, and sat down across from her as Sadey settled back into Harry's arms. Luna took her seat daintily next to Neville. She took out the latest copy of _The Quibbler_ and settled back to read the different articles.

"So, how did you two meet?" Neville asked, eyeing Harry's arm around Sadey.

"Through…a friend," Harry said, looking down at her and smiling. She grinned up at him, and took his hand in hers. "What about you and Luna? From what I hear, you two have been spending an awful lot of time together," Harry said, smirking. Neville blushed, and looked sideways at Luna. She had disappeared behind her copy of _The Quibbler_.

> > >

The remainder of the ride to Hogwarts was quiet. Luna had dragged Neville from the compartment after seeing Ginny quietly motion to her from the doorway. Ron and Hermione never appeared at the compartment, and Harry and Sadey both figured they were off patrolling and spending time alone.

Soon, the lady with the snack cart made her rounds on the train. Sadey bought Fizzing Whizzbee's and Sugar Quills, and Harry bought two Cauldron Cakes. They split their purchases, and ate slowly.

"So, how do you know Malfoy?" Harry asked. The question had been itching at him the moment Draco spoke to Sadey. She got quiet for a moment.

"It's a long story, that doesn't need to be told," she said coldly. Harry was so surprised by the contempt in her voice that he didn't ask any further. He decided he would ask again when she was in a better mood.

The two spent a long time talking about the upcoming school year, and the Quidditch matches. Harry had been named captain of the Gryffindor team over the summer, and he needed to get a team together, while Sadey complained that their new captain would work them so hard, she would hardly have time to finish homework. While they talked, they ate their cauldron cakes, and divided the Fizzing Whizzbee's and Sugar Quills. Sadey took out a book for her Ancient Runes class, and began sucking on a quill.

"Look at you," Harry said with a grin. "Classes haven't even started, and you're studying. You remind me of Hermione."

"Maybe that's why we're such good friends," Sadey said with a laugh. She looked up at Harry, and continued sucking on her Sugar Quill. Harry took a Fizzing Whizzbee, and popped the candy into his mouth. He began sucking on the treat, and began levitation about a meter off the floor. Sadey watched him with her Quill in her mouth, and smiled.

Not long after, they could feel the train slowing, and decided to change into their robes.

When they were changed, they went out into the swarming hallway, waiting for the train to come to a stop at Hogsmeade station. Ron and Hermione were pushing their way through the crowd towards them.

"Sorry we didn't get to your compartment. It took us a little longer than expected to do our rounds," Hermione yelled over the noise of the throng. Sadey nodded.

"That's okay. We didn't do much of anything anyway," she admitted, as Harry grabbed her hand so they wouldn't become separated.

"Is it just me, or does there seem to be more new students than last year?" Ron asked, as a Hufflepuff jabbed him in the back.

"It certainly seems that way," Sadey said, as the train stopped. Everyone leaned forward slightly, and crowded around the doors. As soon as the doors opened, the wind whistled, and rain fell onto the train.

"Great. Now it's raining too," Harry complained, as they were forced forward. The four of them jumped out into the storm, and ran with their heads covered towards the carriages.

"We'll see you at the feast," Hermione yelled, as she and Ron headed off to their duties. Harry and Sadey sprinted along with the mass of people, and weaved their way through them. Harry glanced at the Thestrals as a chill ran through him. Sadey hid her eyes from them, and climbed into the carriage. Harry followed her in, and as the door snapped shut, they began making the bumpy journey through the Hogwarts gates.

"So you can see them?" he asked quietly. Sadey looked up at him, puzzled, until he motioned in front of them.

"Oh. Oh yes, the **thestrals**…I was in the room when my grandfather passed away, and that seems to qualify as watching someone die," she said, shrugging.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

"It's nothing to be sorry about. What happened, happened. That's all there is to it," she said, linking their fingers. Rain drummed on the roof, and they swayed severely on the track.

They soon came to an abrupt stop, but they sat in their carriage for a moment.

"I don't want to get out. I don't want to go to the feast," Sadey said stubbornly. She had her head against his shoulder, and his hand in hers.

"I don't want to either. But we're going to have to," he said with a smirk. She looked up at him, and gave him one last kiss, before he opened the door, and jumped into the rain filled puddles. "C'mon," he called, grabbing her hand, and leading her towards the great oak doors. The two stopped in the entrance hall, and Sadey took out her wand to dry herself. They were pushed farther down the corridor by the mass of students pushing their way out of the rain. Harry looked around to make sure no one was watching them, before grabbing Sadey's arm and pulling her through the nearest door. They were in an empty classroom, but candles littered the windows.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking quizzically at him.

"No, nothing," he said, turning to her and smiling. With that, he grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into a kiss. "I just wanted a moment alone with you before we had to separate." He kissed her again, and she smiled against his lips. Harry grabbed her hands in his, and kissed her again, but she soon broke away, and swept him a coy smile.

"We should get to the feast," she stated, keeping hold of his hand. Harry frowned at her, giving her a puppy dog look that made her laugh. But she pulled him from the classroom all the same, and led him to the welcoming feast. Just before they were to enter, Harry raised her hand, and kissed it gingerly. Sadey smiled shyly at him, before reluctantly letting go of him, and joining her fellow Ravenclaws at their table. Harry stared after her, before looking around, and joining Hermione and Ron at their table. Seamus and Dean were sitting across from them, and were smirking at him.

"So, Harry. Who's that little lass 'ya got there?" Seamus asked with a grin.

"I-what?-Oh…" Harry stammered, as he realized who they were talking about.

"Who is she? I don't recognize her," Dean said, trying to get another glimpse of her.

"Her name's Sadey. She's on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team…as a chaser," Harry explained, looking back to watch her laughing at something her friend said.

"Hutch? You mean David's little sister?" Dean asked, looking back at him with surprise.

"Yeah. You've heard about what happened to him?" Harry asked, looking between the two. Seamus shifted nervously in his seat, as Dean seemed suddenly very interested in the candles floating around their heads. "What?"

"Well…it's not written in stone, but…a lot of people are saying he's 'in' with the Dark Lord. A lot of people are saying that David Hutch is a Death Eater," Seamus said, not looking Harry straight in the eye. Harry stared at them, dumbstruck for a moment, before turning to see Sadey laughing easily again, completely unaware as to what people were saying about her brother.


	18. A New Professor

After everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore rose and made his usual announcements, adding that no one is to be out of his or her dorms after dark. When he had dismissed the students, Hermione and Ron led the first year students to Gryffindor Tower. Harry waved them off, and turned to try and leave the Great hall. As everyone was shepherded out by the teachers, Sadey pushed her way forward to meet Harry.

"All my Ravenclaw friends approve of you," she teased, taking his hand. Harry laughed, but looked to the floor. He couldn't forget what Dean and Seamus had said. "Everything alright?" she asked, looking closely at him.

"Hmm? Yeah, everything's fine," he said, smiling. "In fact, my friends in Gryffindor approve of **you**. They even asked if you had any single sister," he teased back. Sadey laughed as they began climbing the marble staircase.

"I guess this is where we part," Sadey said, when they reached the corridor leading to Harry's common room.

"Well I can walk you to your common room," he offered, shrugging. Sadey smiled at him, and nodded.

"Alright," she agreed, leading him up two more flights of stairs. When they reached the landing, she turned down a hidden passageway behind an old tapestry of a Roman feast. Harry didn't recognize his surroundings, but trusted her. They walked slowly, and talked of their N.E.W.T.'s classes, and what they were aiming to become.

Sadey finally turned down an empty corridor, lined with large bay windows, and void of any paintings or tapestries. Opposite the windows were large, black suits of armor.

"Um…Sadey? Are you sure this is the right corridor?" Harry asked tensely, gripping his wand.

"Of course I'm sure. I've only been coming to the Tower for five years," she said, laughing. She walked casually down the corridor, and soon stopped outside a window with a handsome view of the lake. The navy sky could be seen above. "You have to close your ears. I'm not going to be the one to spill the password," she said with a grin. Harry smirked at her, but brought his palms to his ears, blocking out any sound. He guessed he had said the password, as the image before him was soon melting away. The lake and sky disappeared, and light shone through the now opaque window. An intricate handle appeared at the side.

"This is Ravenclaw Tower," Sadey said, as Harry let his hands drop.

"But I just saw the lake…" Harry trailed off, pointing at the window accusingly.

"My ancestor **was** the cleverest witch of the four. I guess she thought that was something to compensate for," Sadey said, admiring the use of magic. "The window is bewitched, so it would always look like the others. If you look closely, you'll notice that this window's image is identical to the one in that window," she said, pointing to one on the right.

"How'd you figure that out?" Harry asked, amusing himself with the thought of someone actually spending time studying the windows.

"Well we're told in first year actually. That way we can never walk up to any of the other windows, say the password, and expect something to happen," she said with a laugh. "Okay, if you don't hurry, you'll be caught out of bed. See you in the morning," Sadey said, smiling.

"Sweet dreams," he answered, kissing her good-night.

> > >

The next morning, all four sixth years went to breakfast as usual, but this time, they had to be cleared for their N.E.W.T.'s.

"Potter. You're clear for Defense Against the Dark Arts, naturally. Transfiguration as well, I'm pleased to see. Herbology, Charms, Potions, all fine," McGonagall said, tapping her clipboard with her wand.

"But Professor, I thought I couldn't be cleared for Potions with only an 'E'," Harry protested, as she handed him his schedule.

"That was when Snape was Potions Master. Have a good day, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, making her way around the table. Harry stared after her for a moment, not sure whether he had heard correctly. _When Snape **was** the Potions Master? That means Snape is gone? _Harry thought hopefully. Once Hermione and Ron were cleared, they met up with Sadey in the entrance hall.

"Well, I've been cleared for all my Healer courses," she announced excitedly.

"Congratulations," Hermione said, beaming. But Ron gaped at her.

"**You're** going to be a Healer?" he asked amazed. "How did you know you would be taking Potions?" he asked with his mouth hanging open.

"Easy, I got 'Outstanding' on my Potions O.W.L.'s," she said, shrugging. Ron stared at her disbelievingly.

"Do you have any other subjects?" Hermione asked her, ignoring Ron. Sadey consulted her schedule.

"Um…yeah. I have Ancient Runes right now actually," she said, looking up. "I also have Astronomy. Flitwick passed me on anything I got 'Exceeds Expectations' or higher on."

"You still take Astronomy?" Harry asked, as students began heading towards their fist lessons.

"Yeah. There's only a few of us, but we also help out with the first years," she explained as the first bell rang. "I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder, as she and Hermione ran off to Ancient Runes.

"What have we got first?" Harry asked, consulting his own schedule.

"Great! Free period!" on exclaimed. They headed towards Gryffindor Tower, until their next class.

> > >

Later that afternoon, they headed down to the Potions dungeon. The door stood open, so the class warily entered. The dungeon was mostly the same. The only thing different was the feeling of the room. It seemed less dark, now that Snape no longer taught the subject. Sadey left her fellow Ravenclaws to join Harry Ron and Hermione at their table.

"Have you heard who's teaching this class?" she asked, setting down her things.

"No. I didn't see anyone new at the Welcoming Feast either," Harry admitted, as she sat down between him and Hermione. Suddenly the classroom door snapped shut, and a tall man entered the dungeon.

"Hello class," he said cheerfully. Sadey's mouth hung open in pleasant surprise. The new Potions Master was her brother. "I am Professor Hutch. Please take out your books, scales and cauldrons," he said, as the other Ravenclaws smirked at Sadey.

"Um, Professor?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Ah, yes Mr. Potter. Professor McGonagall informed me that you would need a loaned copy of _Advanced Potion Making_, and a set of scales. Here you are," he said, handing Harry his supplies. "You may take ingredients from the story cupboard."

"Thank you Professor. Ron would be needing them as well," Harry said quietly.

"Right. Here you are Mr. Weasley," Professor Hutch said, handing Ron his supplies as well. Ron nodded, mouth opened.

"Okay, class. Today, you will be mixing the Shrinking Potion, just so I can see where you are all at," he said, looking at his clock. "You have an hour and a half. Start…now!"

Sadey enthusiastically pulled her cauldron towards her, and began brewing her potion. Every once in a while, Harry would ask Sadey for advice on how to brew the potion, and much to Hermione's disapproval, she passed on little tricks she had discovered on her own. When the class had finished, the students all filled flasks with the acid green potion, and deposited it on the teachers desk.

The four of them cleaned up their work stations, and headed up to dinner.

"So what do you think of your brother teaching Potions?" Malfoy sneered, on his way out. He pushed passed the small group, and strutted out of the dungeons.

"Oh, I hate that **boy**," Sadey spat, taking out her wand.

"Sadey, forget it. He's not worth it," Hermione said, placing a hand on her forearm.

"Right. I'll see you at dinner," she said curtly, and headed off to dump her bag in her dorm. Harry stared after her, and made a silent promise to figure out how Sadey and Malfoy knew each other.


	19. Figures

The first few weeks of school went idly. Harry continued to take the required courses to become an Auror, and Sadey took her Healer classes, along with a few well chosen extras. This meant they had a few classes together. She joined him during Potions, Charms, and Herbology. She had different times for Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry was pleased to see that with Sadey as a tutor, his Potions skills were becoming greater every lesson. She taught him her few tricks, and he in turn taught her Defensive spells. They were practicing nonverbal incantations with Snape, and neither of them had mastered the feat.

News of Harry and Sadey's relationship spread like wildfire through the school, and she was soon getting vicious glares from the girls in younger years. The two spent as much of their free time together as they could manage. Hermione and Ron had also spent much time together, and their relationship was welcomed with a sigh, and an exclamation of "Finally!". Ginny slowly became better friends with Sadey and they often spent break talking excitedly of Quidditch or school work.

One Saturday morning, during breakfast, Professor McGonagall walked up to Harry with her clipboard in hand. Harry looked up at her, and hung his head, sure he had done something wrong, even though he had no idea what it was. As he stood up, Professor McGonagall looked surprised.

"No need to stand on my behalf, Potter. I just wanted to give you this list. All that signed are excited to hear when you will be holding try-outs. Feel free to arrange them on your time, and post an announcement on the bulletin board in the Common Room," she said calmly. Harry nodded, and sat back down, holding the paper in front of him.

"See anyone we know?" Ron asked, stuffing an egg in his mouth.

"Well, you for one. There are a few familiar names on here. We'll have to see who does well," Harry said, setting the paper on the table, and returning to his breakfast. Sadey came up behind him, and sat down.

"What've you got there?" she asked, indicating to the paper.

"Quidditch hopefuls," Harry said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Sadey grinned, and looked around curiously. Harry stared at her.

"What?" he asked, laughing.

"Oh nothing. It's just that Chang's had us practicing all month now. We had our team set the first weekend of school," she said, with a sly grin. "We're going to flatten you, our first match," she teased, linking her arm in his.

"Oh, very funny. You'll just have to wait and see. We might sneak up on you," Harry said, smiling back. On the other side of the table, Ron gulped.

"Are you okay?" Sadey asked, looking worriedly at him. He nodded.

"Yeah. It's just-I only just remembered you were a Ravenclaw chaser. I can't block any of your shots!" Ron said exasperatedly. Sadey gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Sadey said soothingly, placing a hand on his arm. Hermione looked up at him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You'll be great!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Harry looked over the two, and smiled. Then he remembered what he wanted to talk to Sadey about.

"Hey, can I have a word? In private?" he asked, looking at her.

"Sure," Sadey said, shrugging. Harry grabbed her hand and led her out of the Great Hall. He walked briskly up the marble staircase, and entered an empty classroom, that was full of light.

"What's up?" she asked, smiling carelessly at him.

"I know I already asked you this, but I've been burning to know. How do you and Malfoy know each other?" Harry asked seriously. Sadey's eyes turned downcast. Her face lost it's happy demeanor. But she sighed, defeated.

"You do have a right to know. It's just not something I talk about often. You better sit down, this'll all come as a shock," she explained, hopping on the desk to sit herself.

"I guess you could say it started with out mothers. My mother went to school with Narcissa. They became friends, as my mother was in Slytherin. Yes, she was a Slytherin," Sadey added, at Harry's shocked expression. "Anyway, they stayed friends through school, and even when they got jobs. My mother worked at the Ministry, and Narcissa worked part time in a small shop in Knockturn Alley. They both kept in touch, even through their marriages, and births. My mother obviously had the first child, but then Narcissa had a baby boy, and my mother had me at the same time.

"They both had this grand idea to 'bring their children together', so my parents would often take David and me to Malfoy Manor. I don't remember much from when I was very little, obviously, but as we got older, I remember playing in the gardens, as my mother and Narcissa chatted away about work, and children, and someone called 'The Dark Lord'. I clearly had no idea who that was, but I remember being afraid whenever they mentioned the term.

"So, Narcissa's child was Draco, and he and I played, and as we got older, he would compliment my hair, and I would give him innocent kisses on the cheek in appreciation. Small tokens that young children give each other; it meant nothing, trust me. Meanwhile, I was close to my brother at home, but I would forget about him with the Malfoys. He would get jealous, and go off to do who knows what with Lucius. My father often went with them. This went on until I was about ten.

"For my eleventh birthday, I had a small party, with only my grandparents and the Malfoys, and I played with Draco, and David went off with my father and Lucius. My mother and Narcissa talked, and my grandparents watched silently from the corner. When the 'men' came back, my father said he had an announcement to make. I was too excited to care, so I continued to play, until he mentioned it had to do with me and Draco. So I listened.

"He said that the past eleven years had been fun for everyone, and that he couldn't imagine a greater family than the Malfoys. So, he continued to praise them, and I grew impatient. Then he announced that Draco and I were to be married." Sadey stopped to let the words sink in. Harry looked up at her in amazement. She was expected to marry Draco? How did this happen?

"So, you're supposed to marry Draco? Is that it?" Harry asked coldly. Sadey shook her head.

"The worst part is that I was excited about it. My mother and Narcissa jumped up and clapped, congratulated me and Draco, and went off to start the plans. That year I went to school, and nothing unusual happened. The next year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and Draco and I began to date. It went on until the following year…until I saw you. I had always admired you from afar. I had grown to learn from my grandparents that the Malfoys were horrible people, and that the Dark Lord was really Lord Voldemort, and that you destroyed him. I just couldn't bear to break my father's heart. But I broke up with Draco, telling him that I would at least like to date other people before we actually got married, and I set my sights on you. And now, here we are. My sixth year and I'm with you." She finished with a smile. Harry couldn't return the smile. She had never said whether she was still expected to marry him or not.

"So you broke the arrangement?" he asked, swallowing hard. Sadey's face fell.

"No, I haven't." But as Harry began to leave, she added, "Not yet at least!" harry turned back to her.

"I'm starting to believe what people are saying about your brother. That he's a Death Eater," he muttered coldly, and walked out. He couldn't explain why the explanation had angered him, but itsimply had.

> > >

Harry avoided anyone that day, and after dinner, he went straight up to bed. Harry was just about to close the hangings around his bed, when Moaning Myrtle appeared beside him. Harry nearly fell off the bed.

"Jeez, Myrtle. You scared me," he said, but after seeing silvery tears well in her ghostly eyes, added, "But it's alright. What's up?"

"You need to come to my bathroom. Quickly," she said, as urgently as her mournful voice could manage. Without another word, she drifted down, through the floor. Harry stared after her for a moment, before looking at Ron, who shrugged, and disappeared behind his book. Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak, while heading to Myrtle's bathroom. He didn't run into Filch or Mrs. Norris on the way, but was almost discovered by Peeves when he entered the last corridor.

Harry safely entered the bathroom, undiscovered. He slipped off the cloak and looked around.

"Over there," Myrtle said, almost excitedly. She was pointing behind the sinks. Harry moved around them cautiously, and stopped dead. Hid heartbeat quickened, and his breath became shallow. A motionless figure was lying, sprawled on the floor. The person's torso was bathed in moonlight. Their shirt was damp, and they were holding their stomach loosely. Harry moved forward slightly and realized the person was a girl. Her dark hair had been strewn across her face. Harry noticed that it seemed to curl in the same manner as Sadey's.

He was about to brush away her hair, to try and identify her, when Myrtle piped up, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not?" Harry asked, his hand still outstretched.

"It's a dreadful sight. I watched the end of it," she explained, as though it were a sports show.

"Then you know who it is?" he asked.

"No. Not really. I just heard a commotion while sitting in the S-bend, so I came up to investigate, and I only saw it happen…" Myrtle trailed off dreamily.

"What? What, 'happen'?" Harry asked, turning to her powerfully.

"Basically, she screamed, and fell. I came to get you because she whispered, 'I am so sorry, Harry' before passing out," Myrtle said dramatically. Harry looked back at the girl, and brushed aside her hair.

He was looking into the vacant eyes of Sadey Rowena Hutch.


	20. The Healer

Sadey's face was blank. Her eyes were vacant and staring. There was no trace of fear or sadness on her face.

"What happened? Who did this?" Harry demanded, standing and turning angrily to Myrtle.

"I don't know. They didn't show their face. All I know is there was crashing, and a few spells flew, and she screamed. I found her like that, but she was bleeding much worse earlier," Myrtle said, looking mournfully at Sadey. Harry turned. He hadn't thought about the fact that her shirt was soaked, or what might've made it so. The idea that it was blood made him sick. He ran over to her and examined her face. There were long scratches down her jaw and cheeks, and a deep gash was on her temple. Blood had dried to her forehead. He gently rested his hand on her chest, and was slightly relieved to find a subtle heartbeat, but braced himself as to what might've happened to her stomach. As he pulled her shirt up, he turned away, and blinked back tears. It looked as though her stomach had been ripped apart. It had been slashed apart, leaving deep wounds, to bleed freely. She had probably lost much of her blood, and was still bleeding.

"I have to take her to the Hospital Wing," Harry said, gathering her limp body in his arms.

"You'll be discovered," Myrtle sang warningly.

"Well I can't leave her here to die," he said, slightly annoyed.

"Well you could…then I wouldn't be so lonely," she murmured.

"I wouldn't forgive myself if I did. I wouldn't survive without her…I love her," Harry whispered. With that, he turned and made his way hurriedly to the Hospital Wing. Myrtle watched him go, and waited for the door to swing shut, before turning to the shadows.

"I hope you have the information you need," she said into the darkness.

> > >

"What happened, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked a twitchy Harry. Sadey was behind the curtains with Madam Pomfrey and an Advanced Healer from St. Mungo's.

"I don't really know. Moaning Myrtle told me everything. Apparently someone attacked her," Harry said, still trying to see around the curtains.

"Are you saying it was one of the staff?" Professor McGonagall asked shocked.

"I don't know," Harry admitted distractedly.

"Well, who is she? We need to call her Head of House," McGonagall said, pacing.

"Her name's Sadey Hutch. She's in Ravenclaw," Harry said, looking at his teacher for the first time.

"Alright. I'll be back with Professor Flitwich in a moment. You stay here, Potter," McGonagall instructed sharply. Harry nodded, clenching his hands in front of himself.

The doors closed quietly at the end of the ward. There were muffled whispers coming from behind the curtains, and a potion was bubbling gently in a cauldron. Harry put his head in his hands.

_How could I let this happen? I promised to protect her, and now she's in the Hospital Wing, and she hasn't woken up yet. I don't know if she will. I feel so helpless,_ he thought, running his hand through his unruly hair. At that moment, Professor McGonagall entered the ward again, this time accompanied by Professor Flitwick.

"Minerva, I really do insist on knowing what happened to Miss. Sadey. She is **my** student, after all, and I am responsible-"

"I would be happy to tell you what is going on, but truth be told, I do not know myself," she said patiently. When the pair of them reached the end of the room, Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtains.

Harry stood instantly, a hopeful look on his face. He twisted his hands nervously as Madam Pomfrey smiled kindly.

"You may go and see her now, Mr. Potter," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. Harry smiled gratefully, and heaved a deep sigh. He passed the Healer as they were exiting the small, make-shift room around Sadey's bed. He cast one last sorrowful look at Sadey, before huddling with Harry's Professors.

Harry closed the curtains around the bed, and took a seat beside her. He looked over her frail body. He wasn't used to this pale face and set expression she now wore. Her face was always full of life, and there was constantly a smile.

_Except for earlier, when you walked out on her,_ his conscious nagged, as Harry remembered their conversation from earlier. Harry gingerly took her hand, and kissed it. He brought it to his face, and as her cold skin brushed his cheek, a tear ran down his face. The moment seemed out of a fairytale that Harry had read. He half expected her to wake up, searching her face for any sign of consciousness, but it was useless.

"I'm sorry Sadey. I shouldn't have been angry with you earlier. What happened with Draco wasn't your fault. I guess the thought of you with him just made me so jealous…but maybe if I hadn't acted like that you wouldn't be here. I blame myself for what happened to you. Of course, if you could answer me, I'm sure you'd say I was being silly, and that no one has control over what happens to themselves or others…Then you'd tell me not to worry myself. And then I'd laugh at the face you'd make, and kiss you. Sadey, I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you by my side," Harry confessed. He leaned down, and kissed her forehead gently, and placed her hand back on the bed. With one last look he exited the small space.

"-if she'll ever wake up," the Healer was saying quietly as Harry closed the curtains. He stared at the group, before McGonagall noticed him.

"Potter! Up to bed now. It's late," she called sharply.

Harry nodded, looking curiously at the Healer, who was skimming casually over his notes. Harry slowly made his way to the door, and took his time leaving. But instead of letting the door shut on its own, he held the handle, and slowly let it close. But before it was fully shut, Harry held it open an inch so he could hear what was said.

"As I was saying, I'm not positive if she'll ever wake up. The spell used is impossible to identify, we've tried, and the wounds haven't completely closed yet. She lost a lot of blood and if the wounds are left open for much longer, it's possible she'll die," the Healer said in a practiced voice. Harry suspected he was used to delivering bad news.

"What do you suggest we do?" Professor Flitwick asked. The sound of scrapping metal indicated he had pulled back the curtains to examine his favorite pupil.

"I'm going to leave her in Madam Pomfrey's care. Maybe she'll heal on her own, and wake up. But, if she hasn't awaken in one week, she **must** be moved to St. Mungo's Intensive Care ward," the Healer said seriously.

Harry had heard enough. He gently closed the door as Professor McGonagall was thanking the Healer, and jogged to the nearest passage to Gryffindor Tower.


	21. Depressing Spell

"Oh Great Wizards. Please let her be alright," Hermione said, pacing nervously around the common room. Harry had returned from his visit, and found Hermione Ron and Ginny waiting up for him. His downcast face told them everything they needed to know.

Ron and Ginny sat on the couch before the slowly dying fire, staring into the dim embers. Harry was leaning against the window sill, and was looking out on the ghostly grounds.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Sadey's a tough girl," Ginny said comfortingly. Hermione stopped her pacing, and stared at nothing in particular. She felt tears behind her eyes.

"I still can't help feeling guilty. If we hadn't fought she would be safe in Ravenclaw Tower," Harry said, taking a seat next to Ron. He rested his elbows on his knees, and clenched his hands. Hermione turned to him.

"Harry, you can't feel guilty. This wasn't your fault in any way," Hermione persisted, sitting down next to him, and putting a friendly arm around his shoulders. Harry looked over at her, and she could see his pain and confusion.

"I can't help it. It seems that since we've gotten together, nothing but bad luck has followed her. She fainted at the Weasleys', then the kitchen got destroyed and someone left a threateningnote for her. And now this," Harry said, standing up. He shook his head slightly. "I'm going up to bed."

"Alright…good night Harry," she said, turning and watching him slump up the stairs to the boys' dorms.

That night Harry got into bed, and closed the hangings.

_Sadey entered the room quietly. Her gentle footsteps could hardly be heard. Harry turned at the slight sound as she pulled back the hangings. Her shining face smiled down on him as she slipped into bed, and pulled the curtains closed. _

"_I thought you were in the hospital wing," Harry said with a grin. She smiled at him, but didn't say anything. _

_Harry took in her features. She acted as if nothing in the world bothered her. _

_Suddenly they were in the forest. Harry looked around, wondering how he had gotten there, but looked up to see Sadey walking away. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, and smiled innocently. Harry followed her deeper into the forest. As they traveled farther into the wood, the trees began to thin out, and you could see catches of the moon. Harry looked around, not recognizing his surroundings. Every now and then, Sadey would look back, as if to make sure he was still following her. Harry tried to look ahead, but didn't see anything. And every time he tried to catch up with Sadey, she would somehow appear just as far ahead as she had been. _

_After a while, they reached a small clearing. The trees were knotted and had a dark feeling. The wind blew slightly, even though there were miles of trees surrounding the glen. Suddenly he noticed a person limping around the edge. A closer look revealed he was actually watching himself. Something about the scene made Harry wish he was back in his bed. As he watched himself, a chilling laugh cut the silence. Lord Voldemort swept into sight, followed by his faithful servant, Wormtail. Harry watched as Lord Voldemort sent a spell at his dream self, which was blocked. Suddenly Sadey turned to him, and looked at him with wide eyes. Her expression was serene, and she stood straight. _

"_I'm the last. You mustn't follow," she whispered musically. Then she turned, and stepped into Lord Voldemort's sight. He smirked at her, and sent a spell at her…there was a green flash. Harry watched as his Dream self sent a spell at Lord Voldemort. But he wasn't able to hear the spell, or notice it's outcome, as he had rushed to Sadey. She was lying with her stomach to the ground. He gently touched her shoulder, but his hand went through it. He stared at her shoulder wildly for a moment, before noticing his dream self at her side. He watched as she was turned over, and there, through her bangs, he could make out a thin, lightning bolt scar. _

Harry sat straight up in bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat, and Ron was pulling back his curtains with a worried expression. Harry noticed Neville, Dean and Seamus all sitting up in bed.

"You all right, mate?" Ron asked, squinting at Harry in the dark. Harry shook his head.

"Ron…Ron I saw _her_…with this," he said, pointing at his own forehead. Ron stared at him disbelievingly.

The next morning, Harry dressed, and hurried to breakfast. The Sunday morning sky was dark and stormy. It gave the school a depressing feeling. Of course, everyone in Ravenclaw had been told what had happened to Sadey, and her friends kept giving Harry angry glances.

"It's like they blame _me_ for what happened to her!" Harry exclaimed when Ron and Hermione had joined him.

"Harry, don't take this personally, but I can see where they get that idea," Hermione said, spreading marmalade on her toast. Harry looked at her, dumbstruck.

"Whose side are you on?" Ron accused, sliding away from her a few inches.

"What? Well if you consider that all of her friends know about you and Sadey, Harry, and they all know how head-over-heels she is about you – oh don't give me that look, you know she still is – then she probably told them about the skirmish between you two, so now that they know she was attacked they may think _you_ attacked her out of jealousy," Hermione explained, before taking a sip of orange juice. Harry silently took a piece of toast while thinking about what Hermione had said.

When they had finished breakfast, all three of them went up to the hospital wing to visit Sadey. Madame Pomfrey opened the door solemnly to let them enter, and she brought the curtains over to give them some privacy. Sadey still hadn't woken.

"Has she gotten any better since last night?" Harry asked hopefully. Madame Pomfrey sighed.

"We have been able to stop the bleeding, and heal her wounds, but it wasn't easy. Now it's just a matter of her waking up. If she doesn't open her eyes in one week, she must be sent to St. Mungo's," she reported, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder. Harry stared at Sadey, praying for her to wake up. "Right. I'll leave you to it then." The curtains closed with a muffled screech. Hermione took Sadey's hand in hers, and felt tears well behind her eyes.

"This is all my fault!" she cried, flinging herself onto her friend's sleeping body. "If we hadn't met, she would have never gotten together with you, Harry, and she might not be in this situation right now!" Harry shook his head.

"Don't blame yourself. If anything, _I'm_ the one to blame." Hermione continued crying, as Ron placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Neither of you should blame yourself. Nothing says that if we hadn't met Sadey, this wouldn't have happened," Ron said, looking at each of his friends. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey pulled back the curtains gently and announced that it was time they left. Hermione wiped her eyes as Ron stood up slowly. Harry stayed behind for a moment. He stared at Sadey, before bending down and kissing her forehead. He silently left the quiet Hospital Wing.

By the end of the week the entire school had discovered the condition of Sadey Hutch. Many people knew who she was by her brother, the Potions teacher, and students were concocting wild stories about how she had battled a werewolf, or how someone had slipped her a poison at dinner.

Harry walked the hallways, followed closely by whispers. Students pointed at him, and huddled to talk about him. Hermione and Ron often accompanied him to the classes that they didn't have together, just so he wouldn't be as lonely.

The three of them slumped to their double Potions class on Friday afternoon, and took their seats at the back of the class. Professor Hutch stood at the front of the class, with a simmering cauldron beside him. When the class was settled, he took role call. When he called his sister's name, he paused for a moment, glanced at Harry, and checked her as absent. When he was finished, he stood and indicated the cauldron beside him.

"Can anyone tell me the name of this potion?" he asked, addressing the entire class. They all looked at him curiously. Even Hermione didn't raise her hand. "No one? Well then we better get started…"

> > >

"Harry, can you hold on one moment, I was wondering if I could have a word," Professor Hutch asked, as everyone was packing their things to leave. Harry nodded, as he stuffed his books into his bag. When everyone had left, Harry stood at the front of the class, facing his professor. "Do you know what happened to my sister?" David asked seriously.

"No. I only found her in the girls bathroom," Harry said quietly.

"You didn't see anyone there? Or any evidence that there had been someone?" David asked.

"No. There was no one except for Moaning Myrtle, and she's a ghost," Harry answered. David nodded.

"Alright. Thank you Harry, you can go," he dismissed, turning his back on Harry, and shuffling through the papers on his desk. Harry turned and left the dungeon quietly. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

"I'm going to visit Sadey. See if she's awake," Harry said, as he walked down the hallway.

"We're coming with you," Hermione stated flatly, following him down the hall. The three of them made their way up to the Hospital Wing, but when they entered the quiet ward, they only found Madam Pomfrey. She was smoothing the blankets on the bed where Sadey had been.

"Madam Pomfrey, what happened to Sadey Hutch?" Hermione asked, placing a hand on Harry's arm. Madam Pomfrey looked over at them for a moment.

"She was moved to St. Mungo's. There was nothing we could do for her here. We hope that the Healers there can discover what happened to her, and wake her up," Madam Pomfrey explained, as she walked over to them. "If you want, you can arrange a visit with her."


	22. just so you know!

hey everyone! i know an update has been a long time coming, but i'm re-writing the story and i haven't had the heart to take it down. If there's anything you can think of to make this better, make sure to let me know! otherwise, i'll alert you when the new version is coming. hope you like it, when it comes! 


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